Palms For California

Pronunciation: suh-BALL/SAY-bull maw-rish-uh-FORM-iss

Common Name: Savanah Palm; Bay Leaf Palm

Sabal mauritiiformis is one of the most beautiful of all the Sabals and a highly ornamental palm as a tropical garden specimen. It is one of the least cold hardy of the Sabals, but it still can be grown in many areas of California that don't see too many frosts. After all it is from the tropics of Central and northern South America. It is relatively fast growing Sabal if fed well and watered frequently. The huge, spoke-like fan leaves can sometimes look like a giant Licuala palm and the green trunks retain their lush color for many years.

Appearance and Biology Habit: solitary with a crown of 10-20 fan leaves Height: 30' Trunk: single; 12"; green, split, green leaf bases give this relatively narrow trunked palm a 'woven' look; old palms have cleaner trunk with prominent rings and dull green trunk Crownshaft: none Spread: 15'-18' Leaf Description: markedly costapalmate; bright green on top, whitish to pale blue-white underneath; circular; irregularly deeply divided nearly completely down to the petiole; leaflets droopy but in a slightly irregular and 'sloppy' way; 10'-12' long (including petiole) Petiole/Leaf bases: 6'-8' long; slightly arching; light green; unarmed but extremely sharp edges; deeply channeled; leaf bases split and retained on trunk for years; leaf bases retain green coloration for a years as well, if not too much drought and hot sun exposure Reproduction: monoecious Inflorescence: 6'; from leaf crown vertical arching laterally; white flowers Fruit: spherical; 1/2"; black when ripe

Horticultural Characteristics Minimum Temp: 27F Drought Tolerance: moderate Dry Heat Tolerance: moderate Wind Tolerance: poor Salt Tolerance: low Growth Rate: moderate Soil Preference: widely adaptable; slightly alkaline soils best Light Requirement: filtered sun to full sun Human Hazards: very sharp petiolar blade Disease or Horticultural Problems: prone to nutritional deficiencies when grown in highly acidic soils Transplants?: likely poor Indoor?: might be OK if kept humid Availability: rare but readily available at many palm nurseries