Palms

Saw palmetto is the signature palm of the Deep South, a low, fan-leaved evergreen that carpets the pine flatwoods, scrub, and coastal dunes from the Carolinas through Florida and along the Gulf. The genus honors the American botanist Sereno Watson, and the species name repens, creeping, describes the sprawling habit, while the common name comes from the fierce saw-toothed edges that arm each leaf stalk. Serenoa repens is the only species in the genus, and among the most abundant plants in Florida.

Hardiness

Zones 8–10

Light

Full Sun / Part Shade

Height

5–10 ft.

Spread

6–8 ft.

Bloom

White

Plant type

Palm

Traditional use

reproductive health

A silver-blue jewel among native palms, this is the rare glaucous form of saw palmetto, the low fan palm that carpets the pine flatwoods and coastal plains of the Deep South. Most saw palmettos wear green leaves, but this selection, native chiefly to the east coast of Florida, holds fans of striking silvery blue, a metallic glaucous bloom that lifts the plant from a workhorse native to an ornamental of real presence.

Hardiness

Zones 8–11

Light

Full Sun / Part Shade

Height

5–10 ft.

Spread

6–8 ft.

Bloom

White

Plant type

Palm

Traditional use

reproductive health