Sabal uresana

Trelease

Palma blanca, Sonora palmetto

Arecaceae Edible: Palm hearts, Cabbage 147 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Sabal uresana, commonly known as the Sonoran palmetto, is a species of palm tree that is native to the foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental in northwestern Mexico (states of Chihuahua and Sonora). The specific epithet, "uresana", refers to Ures, Sonora, a town within its range. It is threatened by habitat loss. It is known to be the only known host plant for Hemipeplus pollocki.

Description

A palm. The stems are single and stout. They can be 20 m tall. They are 20-30 cm across. There are 15-35 leaves. These have a bluish bloom on them. There are 60-75 leaflets with are rigid and point upwards. The flowering branch has 3 orders of branches. It is as long as the leaves and arches over. The fruit are round or pear shaped and 1.6 cm long by 1.3 cm across. They are brown or black.

Edible Uses

The palm hearts and cabbage are eaten.

Distribution

It is a warm temperate plant. It grows in thorny forest and oak forest in Mexico. It is along streams and in valleys. It grows from sea level to 1,500 m altitude.

Where It Grows

Mexico, North America,

Synonyms

Inodes uresana (Trelease) O.F.Cook

Also Known As

Palmarillo, Palmarira

References (6)

Balick, M.J. and Beck, H.T., (Ed.), 1990, Useful palms of the World. A Synoptic Bibliography. Colombia p 482, 556,
Grandtner, M. M., 2008, World Dictionary of Trees. Wood and Forest Science Department. Laval University, Quebec, Qc Canada. (Internet database http://www.wdt.qc.ca)
Henderson, A., Galeano, G and Bernal, R., 1995, Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas. Princeton. p 67
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 772
Segura, S. et al, 2018, The edible fruit species in Mexico. Genet Resour Crop Evol (2018) 65:1767–1793

Show all 6 references