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Volume 21-1 1

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Southeastern Palms is the journal of the Southeastern Palm Society (SPS). SPS, founded in 1992, is the southeastern United States (north-of-Florida) chapter of the renowned International Palm Society. Members are devoted to growing hardy palms and other subtropical plants.

Editor and Tom McClendon, St. Marys, Georgia article submissions [email protected]

Design, layout, production; mailing Jeff Stevens, Apison, Tennessee and mailing issues [email protected]

Address changes, membership and Phil Bennion, Marietta, Georgia payment questions [email protected]

Online membership renewal and bookstore www.sepalms.org

Southeastern Palms Will Roberds: 1992–1997 editors emeritus: Alan Bills: 1997–2000 Jeff Stevens: 2001–2008

Front Cover (Figure 13, see page 5): Sabal domingensis is a massive, robust, splendid palm (Ventura Community College, California). Photo: Donald R. Hodel.

Contents Volume 21-1 June 2013

4 Suddenly Sabal, Seriously Part 2 of 3 by Donald R. Hodel

4 Sabal species, continued • S. domingensis • S. etonia • S. guatemalensis • S. gretherae • S. maritima • S. mauritiiformis • S. mexicana • S. miamiensis • S. minor

A note about the series Suddenly Sabal, Seriously:

Dr. Donald Hodel is a world-renowned expert on palms and is the author of several books and numerous articles on palms, most notably on the genus Chamaedorea. In this series, Dr. Hodel looks at “our” Sabal genus from a California perspective, with his excellent writing style and photographs shedding new light on the adaptability and versatility of this remarkable group of palms. Part 1 appeared in Southeastern Palms 20-3. Part 3 will appear in Southeastern Palms 21-2.

—Tom McClendon, editor

Figure 14. The lack of the conspicuous flap-like ligule at the petiole base distinguishes Sabal domingensis from the otherwise similar and perhaps not distinct Sabal causiarum (Moca, Dominican Republic).

Suddenly Sabal , Seriously

Part 2 of 3

Article and photos by Donald R. Hodel University of California 700 West Main Street Alhambra, California 91801 [email protected]

Sabal species, continued

Sabal domingensis (Sabal umbraculifera). Palma cana.

Massive, robust, splendid palm (Figure 13, front cover); trunk to 50 feet tall, 2-3 feet diameter, more or less smooth, brownish to grayish; leaves 20-30, leaf blade strongly costapalmate and recurved, green or glaucous, filiferous, palmen about two-fifths of blade, tips floppy, lacking ligules at petiole base (Figure 14); inflorescences arching, about equaling leaves to exceeding them, branched to three orders, peduncle one-fourth to one-third of inflorescence length; fruit pear-shaped, 0.45-0.55 inch wide, 0.40- 0.55 inch high. Another striking species, Sabal domingensis occurs sparingly in moist forest and disturbed areas in the interior of Hispaniola and eastern Cuba. In the Dominican Republic it occurs with and is similar to Sabal causiarum, and both are used extensively for thatch, but the conspicuous ligules at the petiole base and the smaller, spherical fruits distinguish this latter species. Thatch producers do not distinguish between Sabal domingensis and Sabal causiarum.

Handsome specimens of Sabal domingensis can be seen at Ventura Community College, Pierce Community College, The Huntington, Fullerton Arboretum, Palomar Community College, and the University of California Riverside Botanical Garden. Some specimens of Sabal domingensis have been identified in Southern California collections as Sabal ‘Riverside’. See below under “Other Entities” for an explanation of this name.

Sabal etonia (Sabal adansonii var. megacarpa). Scrub palmetto.

Small palm (Figure 15); trunk usually subterranean or sometimes to 6 feet tall and then covered with persistent leaf bases becoming bare only after many years, 6-10 inches diameter; leaves 7-12, leaf blade strongly costapalmate and recurved, green or light green, filiferous, palmen small, about one-sixth of blade, tips stiff; inflorescences ascending, not exceeding leaves, densely branched to two or rarely three orders, appearing bushy and congested (Figure 16), peduncle lacking to one-eighth of inflorescence length; fruit more or less spherical, wider than long, 0.35-0.60 inch wide, 0.33-0.50 inch high. The scrub palmetto is restricted to sandy soils of mesic to dry pine/oak or “sand pine scrub” forest in central and southeastern Florida. Urbanization has destroyed most of its habitat in southeastern Florida. It is one of the few Sabal not considered weedy and is primarily found in undisturbed conditions. Because of its small habit and trunkless nature, Sabal etonia might be confused with Sabal minor but the latter differs in its mostly flat leaf blade and erect, sparsely branched inflorescences typically exceeding the leaves. Sabal etonia is little cultivated in Southern California, and the only authentic specimen may be at Quail Botanical Gardens (Figure 17). The Huntington has several large, fruiting specimens labeled as such but of unknown origin. Their very large size, which is dramatically different from that of wild-collected plants at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens and Montgomery Botanical

Figure 15. Sabal etonia is a small, trunkless palm with usually strongly recurved leaf blades (Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 78803).

Figure 16. The densely branched inflorescences appearing bushy and congested and not exceeding leaves help to distinguish Sabal etonia (Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 78803, ex Highlands County, Florida).

Figure 17. This specimen of Sabal etonia at Quail Botanical Gardens may be the only one in Southern California (99.0058).

Center in Florida, may be indicative of hybridization. Although of solitary habit, plants at The Huntington form large clumps 10 to 15 feet across, likely the result of fruits falling from and germinating at the base of the original plant. Among the numerous plants forming the large clump are one or two that bear an uncanny resemblance to Sabal minor and are probably the result of hybridization.

Sabal guatemalensis. Guatemala palmetto.

Large palm (Figure 18); trunk to 50 feet tall, 10-14 inches diameter, rough, brown but covered with persistent leaf bases for many years; leaves 10-25, leaf blade strongly costapalmate and recurved, green, filiferous, palmen about one-third of blade, tips stiff to floppy; inflorescences ascending to arching, equaling leaves, branched to three orders, peduncle one-half of inflorescence length; petals strongly ribbed or nerved when dry; fruit more or less pear-shaped, slightly wider than long, 0.40-0.55

Figure 18. A large palm, Sabal guatemalensis is similar to Sabal mexicana (Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 941048, ex Guatemala).

inch wide and high. Probably not cultivated in Southern California, this little-known species occurs in mesic and dry, disturbed forest in southern Mexico and Guatemala. It is similar to and perhaps not distinct from the wide-ranging and variable Sabal mexicana but the latter can be distinguished by its different shaped flowers and larger, spherical fruits.

Sabal gretherae.

Medium palm; trunk to 25 feet tall, 8-12 inches diameter, covered with persistent leaf bases for many years, eventually rough, brown; leaves 25-35, leaf blade strongly costapalmate and recurved, green, filiferous, palmen about one-third of blade, tips stiff to floppy; inflorescences somewhat ascending, slightly less than to equaling leaves, branched to three orders; petals strongly ribbed or nerved when dry; fruit spherical to pear-shaped, slightly

Figure 19 (left). Sabal maritima is a somewhat variable but large palm often with leaves having a grayish cast (Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 931029 J, ex Jamaica).

Figure 20 (right): This otherwise attractive specimen of Sabal maritima at Foster Garden in Honolulu displays symptoms of potassium and/or magnesium deficiencies on the older leaves (63.0246).

wider than long, 0.60-0.80 inch wide, 0.60-0.70 inch high. Probably not cultivated in Southern California, Sabal gretherae, restricted to the vicinity of Chiquila in Quintana Roo at the northernmost point of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, is similar to and perhaps not distinct from the wide-ranging and variable Sabal mexicana. The latter differs in its arching inflorescences and flowers with different shaped petals.

Sabal maritima (Sabal florida, Sabal jamaicensis).

Large palm (Figures 19 and 20); trunk to 50 feet tall, 10-16 inches diameter, rough, brown; leaves 15-25, leaf blade strongly costapalmate and recurved, green, sometimes with glaucous bloom, filiferous, palmen about one-third of blade, tips soft, petioles densely covered with light-colored scales and appearing whitish or tan (Figure 21), small, triangular to square-shape ligule

11 at petiole base (Figure 22); inflorescences ascending, equaling leaves, branched to three orders, peduncle one-fourth to one-third of inflorescence length; rachillae very densely flowered; fruit more or less spherical to pear-shaped, slightly wider than long, 0.30- 0.55 inch wide, 0.30-0.50 inch high. Sabal maritima occurs in disturbed moist forest and other areas in Jamaica and Cuba. The whitish brown or tan petioles, small ligule at the petiole base, ascending inflorescences, and densely flowered rachillae distinguish this species. In its pure form it is little if at all cultivated in Southern California. Gary Wood in Fallbrook appears to have a juvenile plant that has yet to form a trunk. When I began my Sabal investigations this past winter I noticed a somewhat distinctive species at the Fullerton Arboretum, The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, The Huntington, Elysian Park, and Ralph Velez’s garden in Westminster that I referred to as Sabal ‘Big Floppy’ (which see under “Other Entities”) because it is distinctive in its large, coarse, leaf blades with a glaucous bloom and wide, soft, exceedingly droopy or floppy segment tips. It is a rather handsome plant that is somewhat similar in leaf to plants of Sabal maritima at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden that were collected in Jamaica, thus I feel that ‘Big Floppy’ may be a hybrid, with Sabal maritima as one of its parents.

Sabal mauritiiformis (Sabal allenii, Sabal glaucescens, Sabal morrisiana, Sabal nematoclada).

Large palm (Figure 23); trunk to 80 feet tall, slender, 6-10 inches diameter, often covered with persistent green leaf bases when young, prominently ringed when young, aging to brownish gray; leaves 15-25, leaf blade weakly costapalmate and nearly flat, mostly dark green above and glaucous gray below, palmen about one-third of blade, not filiferous, segments aggregated mostly in groups of three (rarely two) for nearly entire length (Figure 24), tips drooping; inflorescences ascending, exceeding leaves,

Figure 21 (above). The petioles densely covered with light- colored scales and appearing whitish or tan distinguish Sabal maritima (Foster Garden, 63.0246).

Figure 22 (right). Small, triangular to square-shape ligules at the petiole bases help to distinguish Sabal maritima (Montgomery Botanical Center, 931029, ex Jamaica).

Figure 23 (left). Sabal mauritiiformis is a large, fast- growing palm (Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden, Honolulu, 79.1086).

Figure 24 (top): Leaf segments of Sabal mauritiiformis are aggregated into groups of two or three for nearly their entire length.

Figure 25 (right): Although the most cold sensitive species in the genus, Sabal mauritiiformis performs adequately in most areas of coastal Southern California (Pauleen Sullivan’s apartments, Ventura).

Figure 23 (left). Sabal mauritiiformis is a large, fast- growing palm (Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden, Honolulu, 79.1086).

Figure 24 (top): Leaf segments of Sabal mauritiiformis are aggregated into groups of two or three for nearly their entire length.

Figure 26. Internodes of Sabal mauritiiformis can be as long as four inches while in most other species in the genus they are less than an inch long (Foster Garden, F 2887).

Figure 27. Well-grown trunkless, juvenile plants of Sabal mauritiiformis in shade are especially stunning and handsome with their immense, flat, round leaf blades held at the ends of long, arching petioles that arise in a rosette directly from the ground (Catamaran Hotel, San Diego, with Michael Marika).

branched to four orders, peduncle one-half of inflorescence length; fruit spherical to pear-shaped, 0.35-0.45 inch wide and high. Sabal mauritiiformis occurs in moist to wet, undisturbed and disturbed forest and other areas in southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, and Trinidad. Often occurring on limestone, Sabal mauritiiformis is rather sporadically distributed across its range but where it does occur it can be fairly abundant. Fairly common in collections in Southern California (Figure 25), Sabal mauritiiformis is the most cold-tender species in the genus but also the fastest-growing. Trunks can grow to eight feet tall and still be covered with live, green leaves to the soil line. Internodes, especially on the lower part of the trunk when growth was exceptionally fast, can be as long as four inches while in most other species they are less than an inch long (Figure 26). Its large, round leaf blades with segments aggregated in groups of threes, and typically green above and conspicuously gray below, are unusually handsome. Well grown trunkless, juvenile plants in shade are especially stunning and handsome with their immense, flat, round leaf blades up to eight feet across held at the ends of long, arching petioles that arise in a rosette directly from the ground (Figure 27). Exercise care when selecting a planting site for Sabal mauritiiformis, though, because wind easily shreds and tatters the striking leaves, detracting greatly from their beauty. Because its leaf blade segments are also aggregated in groups, Sabal yapa is similar to and can be confused with Sabal mauritiiformis. However, Sabal yapa differs in its leaf blade segments aggregated mostly in groups of two and for only about half their length and inflorescences branched to three orders.

Sabal mexicana (Sabal exul, Sabal texana). Mexico palmetto.

Large palm (Figures 28 to 30); trunk to 50 feet tall, 8-14 inches diameter, covered with persistent leaf bases for many years, eventually rough, brown; leaves 10-25, leaf blade strongly

Figure 28 (left). Sabal mexicana can be a large palm (Tamaulipas, Mexico).

Figure 29 (facing page, above): In some instances Sabal mexicana can form extensive colonies (San Luis Potosí, Mexico).

Figure 30 (facing page below left): Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden has several handsome specimens of Sabal mexicana (59495, ex Yucatan, Mexico).

Figure 31 (facing page center right): Sabal mexicana has conspicuously ribbed petals (arrows) when dry (Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 59495, ex costapalmate and recurved, green, Yucatan, Mexico). filiferous, palmen about one-third of Figure 32 (facing page blade, tips stiff to floppy; lower right): The inflorescences arching, equaling Huntington has one leaves, branched to three orders, accession of Sabal mexicana and it has peduncle short, nearly lacking to prominently v-shaped leaf one-sixth of inflorescence length; blades with narrow, stiff petals strongly ribbed or nerved segments (3257). when dry (Figure 31); fruit more or less spherical, sometimes slightly wider than long, 0.60-0.75 inch wide, 0.55-0.65 inch high. The wide-ranging and variable Sabal mexicana occurs in

Figure 33: Although similar in habit to Sabal palmetto, Sabal mexicana has inflorescences with not or a very short peduncle (Cerritos).

Figure 34: Cerritos is home to a handsome Sabal mexicana.

disturbed, moist and dry forest and other areas from extreme southern Texas to eastern and southeastern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua (Zona 2000). Sabal mexicana is similar to and perhaps not distinct from Sabal guatemalensis and Sabal gretherae but the former can be distinguished by its different shaped flowers and smaller, more or less pear-shaped fruits while the latter differs in its ascending inflorescences and different shaped flowers. True Sabal mexicana is rarely cultivated in California. Many gardens have plants labeled

20 as such yet they are nearly always Sabal palmetto or perhaps a hybrid. For example, The Huntington has at least four accessions labeled Sabal mexicana but only one is this species (Figure 32), the others are Sabal palmetto. Similarly, a plant at Quail Botanical Gardens labeled Sabal mexicana is really Sabal palmetto. In addition to the prominently ribbed flowers, Sabal mexicana differs from Sabal palmetto in its inflorescence with a much shorter peduncle (Figure 33). In addition to the plant at The Huntington, other authentic Sabal mexicana are in Gary Wood’s collection in Fallbrook and in the landscape at an office building in Cerritos (Figure 34). The few California plants of Sabal mexicana I have seen appear somewhat different from wild-collected plants I observed at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and tend to have more prominently V-shaped leaf blades with more erect, stiff, and narrower segments than those at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. Plants at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden have less prominently V-shaped leaf blades and wider, softer, segments, giving the leaf a coarser appearance.

Sabal miamiensis. Miami palmetto.

Small palm (Figure 35); trunk subterranean, 6-10 inches diameter; leaves 3-6, leaf blade strongly costapalmate and recurved, green or light green, filiferous or not, palmen small, about one-fifth of blade, tips stiff; inflorescences arching, equaling or slightly exceeding leaves, laxly branched to three orders, fruit wider than long, 0.60-0.75 inch wide, 0.55-0.65 inch high. Sabal miamiensis is similar to and perhaps not distinct from Sabal etonia. However, the latter differs in its ascending inflorescences densely branched mostly to two orders and smaller fruits. Also, Zona (1990) indicated that Sabal etonia occurs in “sand pine scrub” forest while Sabal miamiensis occurred on oolitic limestone in southeastern Florida. It all may be a moot point, though; Sabal miamiensis is likely extinct because urbanization has long since destroyed most of its localized habitat.

Figure 35. Sabal miamiensis is a small palm similar to Sabal etonia from which it may not be distinct (Montgomery Botanical Center, 85299).

Plants labeled as Sabal miamiensis in gardens are most likely Sabal etonia. Quail Botanical Gardens has a plant labeled Sabal miamiensis that was received from Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden but it appears to be Sabal etonia.

Sabal minor (S. adansonii var. major, S. deeringiana, S. louisiana, S. minima, S. pumila). Dwarf palmetto, swamp palmetto.

Small palm (Figure 36); often appearing trunkless because of subterranean or creeping trunk (Figure 37) or sometimes with above-ground trunk to 10 feet tall and then covered with persistent leaf bases becoming bare only after many years and then 6-10 inches diameter; leaves 4-10, leaf blade weakly costapalmate and nearly flat, dark grayish green, not filiferous, palmen small, about

Figure 36. Sabal minor is typically a small palm with a short, compact, subterranean trunk and the leaves and inflorescences arising directly from the ground (Quail Botanical Gardens).

Figure 37. In some instances the trunk of Sabal minor may creep along the ground for several feet (Tamaulipas, Mexico).

Figure 38 (left). Inflorescences of Sabal minor are typically erect and greatly exceed the leaves (Ventura Community College).

Figure 39 (above). Some forms of Sabal minor eventually produce a short, above-ground trunk (The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, 60.0673). one-fifth of blade, tips stiff; inflorescences erect, usually greatly exceeding leaves (Figure 38), laxly branched (branches well spaced) to two or rarely three orders, peduncle one-half to two- thirds of inflorescence length; fruit more or less spherical, wider than long, 0.35-0.40 inch wide, 0.25-0.33 inch high. A highly variable species across its rather wide range, Sabal minor occurs throughout the southern United States, from Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina through Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma to Texas (Zona 1990), and into northeastern Mexico (Goldman 1999). It is a palm mostly of low, moist to wet, or even seasonally flooded areas of broadleaf deciduous forest. However, it inhabits rather dry hillsides in central Texas (Lockett 1991) and steep rocky slopes in mixed evergreen forest in northeastern Mexico. Forms of Sabal minor with a well developed above-ground trunk were once recognized as separate species and went under the names Sabal deeringiana and Sabal louisiana but these are

Figure 40 (right). Although first-order inflorescences branches of Sabal minor are usually short, dense, and compact, in some cases they are long, open, and more sparsely branched (Ventura Community College).

Figure 41 (below). A famous hybrid Sabal in Brazoria County, Texas, as shown here cultivated at Peckerwood Gardens near Houston, is somewhat intermediate between Sabal minor and perhaps Sabal mexicana although the parentage has yet to be verified with DNA sequence data.

25 now simply considered morphological variants of a single, widespread species (Figure 39). One of the most distinctive and easily recognizable members of the genus, Sabal minor is not likely to be confused with any other species. The usually trunkless habit, nearly flat leaf blades divided into two equal halves, and erect inflorescences typically greatly exceeding the leaves and with well spaced branches easily distinguish the dwarf palmetto. First-order branches display much variability among plants, though, with some being short, dense, and compact while in others they are long, open, and more sparsely branched (Figure 40). The typically flat leaf blade cleft into two equal halves has long been noted as a distinguishing feature of Sabal minor. However, nearly all species of Sabal have leaf blades cleft into two equal halves. It is simply that this feature is not as readily apparent on these other species because their blades are usually strongly costapalmate and recurved, the erect pinnae forming a trough and obscuring the cleft, whereas on Sabal minor the cleft is conspicuous and readily discerned because of the flat leaf blade. Sabal minor is one of the most cold-hardy species of palms and can tolerate temperatures well below 0°F without damage. Its distribution at high latitudes and the subterranean trunk with its well protected apical meristem are probably partly responsible for its exceptional cold hardiness. An attractive and useful palm for the landscape or garden, Sabal minor is especially appealing below taller palms or other trees where its uniquely distinctive habit, a rosette of grayish green fan leaves, from the center of which bolt the conspicuous and erect infructescences heavily laden with bluish-black berries, all seemingly arising directly from the ground, can be employed to best advantage. Indeed, it is especially effective as a mass planting or giant “groundcover” in the light shade cast by much taller plants. The dwarf palmetto actually performs best in light shade or with protection from the hot afternoon sun; the lower light

26 results in better color and longer petioles, the latter of which serve to hold the handsome leaf blades higher for more advantageous viewing. The dwarf palmetto is most appealing and attractive in its trunkless form where the quintessential rosette of fan leaves and inflorescences arise directly from the ground (Figure 36). The formation of an above-ground trunk defeats this unique habit, making the palm seem all the more ordinary (Figure 39). There is a famous hybrid Sabal in Brazoria County, Texas that has an above-ground trunk and is somewhat intermediate between Sabal minor and perhaps Sabal mexicana (Lockett 1991) although the parentage has yet to be verified with DNA sequence data (Figures 41, page 25; to 42, back cover). It is sometimes erroneously referred to as Sabal x texensis, a name of no botanical standing.* ■

Donald R. Hodel, a graduate of the University of Hawaii, is the environmental and landscape horticulture advisor for the University of California Cooperative Extension in Los Angeles. Among his books are Chamaedorea Palms, Exceptional Trees of Los Angeles and The Palms of New Caledonia.

This article first appeared in 2009 in The Palm Journal (Palm Society of Southern California), Volume 190: 4-31.

*Since this article was originally published, the Brazoria palm has been given the proposed name Sabal x brazoriensis based on recent genetic research. See “A Putative Sabal Hybrid,” Phytotaxa 27:8-25 (2011 Magnolia Press). The authors, Douglas H. Goldman, Matthew R. Klooseter, M. Patrick Griffith, Michael, F. Fay and Mark W. Chase, find Sabal x brazoriensis to be most likely an old hybrid of a regional trunked form of Sabal minor and Sabal palmetto.

Sabal x texensis (or Sabal x brazoriensis, the recently-proposed name)

Peckerwood Garden, Hempstead, Texas

The hybrid Sabal (Figure 42, see page 27) from Brazoria County, Texas, has inflorescences not exceeding the leaves.

Photo: Donald R. Hodel 28