Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Commelinids: Arecales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Serenoa repens
FAMILY
Arecaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Serenoa repens
FAMILY
Arecaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Serenoa repens
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2015)
Serenoa repens
SYNONYMOUS WITH Aquatic & Wetland Plants of Southeastern US (Godfrey & Wooten, 1979 & 1981)
Serenoa repens
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 031-01-001:
Serenoa repens FAMILY Arecaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Serenoa repens
COMMON NAME:
Saw Palmetto
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / US Forest Service pnd_sere2_002_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm0303f_06
March Beaufort County SC
Hunting Island State Park
)
JK Marlow jkm0303g_01
March Beaufort County SC
Hunting Island State Park
Stem horizontal, atop or just below soil surface. Petioles often w prickles, per Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm0304g_16
April Beaufort County SC
Hunting Island State Park
The petiole is armed with stiff spines, per Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988).
COMPARE
Palm and Palmetto species
)
JK Marlow jkm0304g_19
April Beaufort County SC
Hunting Island State Park
Leaf segments lack marginal fibers, per Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988).
)
JK Marlow jkm0304h_20
April Beaufort County SC
Hunting Island State Park
Petiole ends abruptly in the blade base, per Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988).
)
JK Marlow jkm0304i_14
April Beaufort County SC
Hunting Island State Park
Notice the new leaf at the bottom of the picture.
)
JK Marlow jkm161105_051
November Georgetown County SC
Huntington Beach State Park
Leaves upright, fan-like, nearly circular in outline, per Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005).
)
Keith Bradley kab_serenoa_repens_72812
November Miami-Dade County FL
Everglades National Park
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Serenoa repens
FAMILY
Arecaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Serenoa repens
FAMILY
Arecaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Serenoa repens
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2015)
Serenoa repens
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Aquatic & Wetland Plants of Southeastern US (Godfrey & Wooten, 1979 & 1981)
Serenoa repens
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 031-01-001:
Serenoa repens
FAMILY
Arecaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Serenoa repens
1367
Shrub
Perennial
Habitat: pine flatwoods, maritime forests, pine rocklands (in FL), per Weakley's Flora
Native to South Carolina & Georgia
Common in GA Coastal Plain (rare in SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
IS THE PLANT "ARMED"?
Petioles armed with sharp recurved teeth
LEAVES:
Evergreen
Palmately compound
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Radially symmetrical
3 sepals
3 petals
Superior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Fall
Drupe
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Wildflowers (Nelson, 2006) p115
- Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005) p398
- Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Wasowski & Wasowski, 1994, 2020) p092
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p255
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p357
- How to Recognize Shrubs (Grimm, 1966) p068
- Landscaping with Native Trees (Sternberg & Wilson, 1995) p229
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p052
- Trees of the Southeastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1988) p050
- Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry (Porcher, 1995) p187
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p322
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".