Dwarf Palmetto

Native to the Southeastern US, this palm grows small trunks that remain hidden behind the leaves. The Dwarf Palmetto palm tree, Sabal minor, is not a fast growing plant, and grows abundantly in pine tree forests, and in poorly drained lowlands. Innumerable colonies of dwarf palmetto palm grow next to the highway between Albany, Georgia and Blakely, Georgia on swampland, that is under water periodically, and the dwarf palmetto palms grow in very heavy shade. This extremely adaptable palm tree is drought tolerant grown as a landscape specimen shrub or in rows as a privacy screen.

• The dwarf palmetto palm, Sabal minor, competes aggressively with other shrubs and trees in native American forests and is a valuable landscape shrub in many exclusive resort areas, because once established, it is evergreen and requires virtually no maintenance in landscapes. The slow growth of the Dwarf Palmetto Palm tree makes it extremely cold hardy, so the Dwarf Palmetto can easily grow in the North as well as the South, and are often planted in large containers in city business areas. In the south, the dwarf palmetto palm tree is commonly found growing as small shrubs and colonies along sandy coastal areas and in poor swampy soils inland. The Dwarf Palmetto Palm Tree will survive the cold winters of most Northern states, mainly because they are slow growing and the dense wax covering on the Dwarf Palmetto palm leaf insulates the plant.

• The flower stalk grows four to six feet, and white flowers grow into one-half inch, black fruit. The dwarf palmetto grows beautiful, pest resistant leaves, and can be seen growing as a salt water resistant plant in large landscape borders of Sea Island, Georgia, where land purchasers value the natural appearance and incorporate the plant into landscape designs. Striking specimens of dwarf palmetto palm trees can be seen when clumps of small trees are removed from the mother plant, that often contains a curved shapely trunk of 4-5 feet topped by beautiful green leaves.

• The Dwarf Palmetto Palm tree rarely grows a trunk but forms dense impenetrable mats of roots. Many gardeners have unfortunately tried to dig dwarf palmetto palm trees to transplant and grow in their yards, but because of the extensive root system that is removed, most transplanted dwarf palmetto palm trees wither and die shortly after planting. Dwarf Palmetto Palms grow very low to the ground and provide protection to small animals and the native distribution of the Dwarf Palmetto Palm Trees extends into many Northern states where the palmetto palm can easily survive winters of heavy snow and ice. Dwarf Palmetto Palm Shrubs grown in Northern areas as far north as New York State.