Sabal mexicana

Pronunciation: suh-BALL/SAY-bull mex-ih-CAN-uh

Common Name: Texas Palmetto; Oaxacan Palmetto

Sabal mexicana is a moderately common species in California and Texas that is a fairly 'typical' looking Sabal palm with a large head of costapalmate leaves and a typical trunk. It is a bit less immense than the largest species of this genus, but a very reliable grower in many areas of California and a worthy landscape specimen. For some reason, this is one of the more commonly grown Sabals in the tropics.

Synonym: Sabal texana; Sabal guatamalensis

Appearance and Biology

Habit: solitary with a crown of 15-25 costapalmate leaves
Height: 40'
Trunk: single; 12" thick; grey and very closely, subtly ringed
Crownshaft: none
Spread: 14'
Leaf Description: markedly costapalmate; 6'-7' long; medium green to bluish green; leaflets have some droop to them; leaves divided 1/2 to 2/3 length; sometimes with a short skirt of dead leaves below crown
Petiole/Leaf bases: 3'-4' long; unarmed; channeled; light green
Reproduction: monoecious
Inflorescence: 3' long; within leaves; pale yellow flowers
Fruit: ovoid; 1/2-3/4"" long; dark brown when ripe

Horticultural Characteristics

Minimum Temp: 18F
Drought Tolerance: good
Dry Heat Tolerance: good
Cool Tolerance: good
Wind Tolerance: good
Salt Tolerance: unknown
Growth Rate: slow to moderate
Soil Preference: adaptable
Light Requirement: partial to full sun
Human Hazards: moderately sharp petioles
Disease or Horticultural Problems: mild nutritional problems in some California soils
Transplants?: unknown
Indoor?: unknown
Availability: rare

Huntington Gardens near Pasadena, California
Huntington gardens
University of California Berkeley gardens palm
Hawaii
Fairchild Tropical Gardens, Miami, Florida
Ho'Olamuhia gardens, Oahu, Hawaii
Singapore Botanical gardens
UC Berkeley gardens
trunk in Huntington Gardens
fruits in Huntington Gardens
ripening fruit

Sabal mexicana

Geoff Stein - Author & Editor