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Scrub palm is a small shrub-like palm whose trunk usually remains underground. The fan-shaped leaves are about 3 ft (0.9 m) across and costapalmate, which means that they are essentially palmate (fan shaped) except that the petiole (leaf stem) extends part way through the center of the leaf fan as a midrib. Scrub palm will grow up to 3-4 ft (0.9-1.2 m) tall with a spread of 4-5 ft (1.2-1.5 m). Under garden conditions scrub palm is a more robust grower reaching to 6 ft (1.8 m) in height. The small white flowers are fragrant and held in great numbers on a long stalk that does not extend beyond the leaves. These are followed by 0.6 inch (1.5 cm) fleshy fruits that turn black when ripe. Scrub palm resembles saw palmetto (Serenoa repens), but the latter has a true palmate leaf with no midrib. Another trait that distinguishes saw palmetto from scrub palm are the small sawlike teeth along the edges of the petiole which inspire its common name.
Scrub palm occurs naturally only on well-drained sandy ridges in peninsular Florida. It is usually associated with saw palmetto, scrubby oaks (Quercus spp.) and Florida rosemary (Ceratiola ericoides). Scrub palm is a characteristic plant of the Florida scrub, an endangered plant community that is restricted to Florida. Culture Usage
Features Steve Christman 12/09/97, 07/30/99; updated Jack Scheper 10/11/03, 12/31/06
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