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Cabbage Palmetto

Sabal palmetto

Found in maritime forests, marsh edges, and other near-coastal communities. Also a co-dominant in moist to wet hammocks further inland in peninsular FL. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Florida edition What its natural habitat tells you

71
Strong

Native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height
12–35 feet
Spread
10–15 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Space about 12.5 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

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At a glance

Leaves
Evergreen
Bloom
July
Fruiting season
October to November

Not yet recorded · Life cycle

Recorded in 65 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Freshwater marshes

Georgia pond and emergent wetland
Regional / representative. Shown: Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Georgia; representative pond ecosystem, a neighboring state.Georgia pond and emergent wetland, Robert 'Bob' Hynes, 1997. Public domain. Source record.

Maritime forests and thickets

Salt-pruned forests and shrub thickets behind coastal dunes.

Coastal Plain hammocks

Dense, evergreen groves of live oak, magnolia and other hardwoods in the southern Coastal Plain, from dry oak domes to wet hydric hammocks and south Florida's tropical hammocks; salt-shaped maritime hammocks are maritime forests.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 252 animals.

All wildlife of Florida

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

12CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Sabal

  • Atheloca subrufellaPalm Bud Moth
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Erechthias minusculaCaribbean Scavenger Moth
  • Euphyes arpaPalmetto Skipper
  • Homaledra heptathalamaExclamation Moth
  • Homaledra sabalellaPalm Leaf Skeletonizer
  • Litoprosopus futilisCabbage Palm Caterpillar, Palmetto Borer
  • Seirarctia echoEcho Moth
  • Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
  • Homaledra howardi
Show all 12
  • Homaledra knudsoni
  • Phormoestes palmettovora
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
30BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Sabal

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Sabal

  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Arecaceae
Hardiness
Zones 7b–11b
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
Cream or white
Growth rate
Slow
Growth habit
Single stem
Foliage color
Gray-green
Fruit begins
October
Fruit ends
November

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Florida rankS5
Global rankG5
FL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Sources