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Dwarf Palmetto

Sabal minor

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in swamps; maritime forests and thickets; moist forests; hardwood and oak flatwoods; freshwater marshes. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

67
Strong

Native to Louisiana (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
2–10 feet
Spread
4–6 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to standing water

Space about 5 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 4 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

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At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Evergreen
Bloom
May to July
Fruiting season
September to November

Recorded in 55 Louisiana parishes.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 5

Swamps

Forested wetlands with standing water much of the year, such as cypress and gum swamps.

Maritime forests and thickets

Salt-pruned forests and shrub thickets behind coastal dunes.

Moist forests

Forests on moist but not wet ground, such as rich slopes and ravines.

Hardwood and oak flatwoods

Flat, poorly drained uplands and terraces with oaks, sweetgum and sometimes loblolly pine, wet in winter and dry in summer, but neither a floodplain nor a swamp.

Freshwater marshes

Open, herb-covered wetlands with fresh, non-tidal water.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Louisiana. Shared habitat, not food. 173 animals.

All wildlife of Louisiana

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

7CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA

Genus host records with ranges including LA · Sabal

  • Atheloca subrufellaPalm Bud Moth
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Homaledra heptathalamaExclamation Moth
  • Homaledra sabalellaPalm Leaf Skeletonizer
  • Litoprosopus futilisCabbage Palm Caterpillar, Palmetto Borer
  • Seirarctia echoEcho Moth
  • Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
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 7a–10b
Soil pH
Neutral to alkaline
Flower color
Cream or white
Growth rate
Slow
Growth habit
Grows in clumps
Foliage color
Gray-green
Fruit begins
September
Fruit ends
November

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

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Louisiana rankSNR
Global rankG5
LA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources