Sabal pumos

Sabal pumos, known as the royal palmetto, is a species of flowering plant in the palm tree family, Arecaceae.

Description

A slender fan palm. It has a single trunk. The trunk can be 15 m tall and 35 cm across. The crown is large and rounded. The leaf stalk extends into the leaves. The leaves bear threads. The flowering stalk is arching or nodding and shorter than the leaf stalk. The fruit are oval or round and greenish-black. They are 18-27 mm across. The fruit are edible.

Edible Uses

The flesh of the fruit is edible. The greenish, brown-black, globose fruits can be 23mm in diameter.

Traditional Uses

The fruit are eaten.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It grows on sandy soils between 600-1300 m altitude in Mexico. It grows in tropical deciduous forests of mountainous areas. It needs a fast draining soil. It can tolerate drought.

Where It Grows

Central America, Mexico, North America,

Other Uses

The leaves are used for thatch. The leaves are used for weaving hats, mats, baskets etc.

Notes

There are 16 Sabal species.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Palma real

References (5)

• Haynes, J., & McLaughlin, J., 2000, Edible palms and Their Uses. University of Florida Fact sheet MCDE-00-50-1 p 12
• Henderson, A., Galeano, G and Bernal, R., 1995, Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas. Princeton. p 67
• Johnson, D.V., 1998, Tropical palms. Non-wood Forest products 10. FAO Rome. p 86, 94
• Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 771
• Riffle, R.L. & Craft, P., 2003, An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms. Timber Press. p 448

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