Common name: Dwarf Palmetto
Scientific Name: Sabal minor
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Wetland Plant Status: Facultative
Ecology & Description Dwarf palmetto (also known as little blue stem palmetto, latania, latanier, and swamp palmetto) is a member of the palm family. It has a short bush appearance with a round crown of large fan shaped leaves. The bark of bush palmetto is rough and gray- brown and there is an absence of twigs due to the leaves appearing directly out of the unbranched short trunk. The leaves of the plant are blue-green in color, alternate and palmately compound, and are arranged in a fan-shaped form. The leaflets vary in size from 2 to 4 feet and have a lance- shaped. The leaf stalk is concave, extends into the leaf blade, and is without sharp edges. Small white flowers occur in branched clusters and appear in early summer. The fruit of the palm is a fleshy drupe that is nearly round with a dark blue color. The fruit matures in early fall and remains persistent into the winter.
Habitat Dwarf palmetto is found along the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains in backwater swamps, floodplains, and banks of rivers and streams. It has also been found in alluvial forests, moist beaches, and into mesic and drier mixed hardwood and prairie communities further from the coast in west-central Texas. It is considered one of the hardiest palms, being able to handle marked differences in soil moisture in various habitats such as ridge-swale systems in coastal forests and cold temperatures.
Distribution Dwarf palmetto is more widespread than any other Sabal species in the United States. The plant is found from central Florida to eastern North Carolina, west to Oklahoma and to central Texas.
Native/Invasive Status Dwarf palmetto is native to North America and is found in the south eastern part of the United States. The plant’s range may be expanded by planting.
Wildlife Uses Insects such as wasps and large native bees are common pollinators of dwarf palmetto. The palm provides nest sites in southeastern North Carolina for the Eastern Woodrat (Neotoma floridan;). Wasps and rattlesnakes (Family Viperdae) used dwarf palmetto for habitat along with the Southern Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata), which is found in flooded hardwood bottom swamp forest. The Louisiana Black Bear (Ursus americanus) relies on dwarf palmetto for the fruit that it bears along with many other animals, such as raccoons (Procyon lotor) and songbirds (Order Passeriformes). These animals play a huge role during the palm’s life by aiding the plant in seed dispersal.
Management, Establishment, & Control Techniques Dwarf palmetto is fire tolerant. This allows growth of the plant by removing competition around the plant that is unfavorable to fire. Dwarf palmetto is easy to establish and is capable of growing in shallow soils that provide medium drainage and fertility in both moist and fairly dry areas. Dwarf palmetto has a slow to moderate growth rate and is light tolerant, with shade at midday. The seeds may be easily propagated as fresh seeds germinate readily. It is best to transplant the following year, in June or July, and frequently water until root system has been established. Please contact your local agricultural extension specialist or county weed specialist to learn what works best in your area and how to use it safely.
References Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). 2015. PLANTS Database. Plants Data Team, United States Department of Agriculture, Greensboro, North Carolina.
This document was authored by Dustin Browning, School of Forestry, Louisiana Tech University, March 2015.