The state tree of South Carolina, Sabal palmetto, is making me long for warm sandy beaches.

Sabal palmetto grows up to 65 ft (20 m) in height, with a trunk up to 2 ft (60 cm) diameter. It is a fan palm, and each leaf is 5 to 6.5 ft (1.5-2 m) long. The flowers are yellowish-white and are produced in large compound panicles. It is extremely salt-tolerant and is often seen growing near the Atlantic coast.  Sabal palmetto is very cold-hardy, as it is able to survive short periods of temperatures as low as 7 °F (-14 °C) or lower. Cabbage Palm is about as hurricane-proof as a tree can be. They stand after hurricanes have blown over oaks and snapped pines. They adapt well to small cutouts in the sidewalk, and can even create shade if planted on 6 to 10 foot centers.  The dead leaves should be cleaned to eliminate a habitat for roaches and rats.

Floridata reports:

The large leaf buds of immature cabbage palms are used in southern cooking to make swamp cabbage and hearts of palm salad. Removal of the bud is lethal to the palm. We recommend that you NOT purchase nor eat hearts of palm for two reasons: 1) they’re not that tasty, having only a bland crunchiness to recommend them and 2) most commercially available canned product is obtained from wild stands of Sabal species in Mexico and Central America which is decimating those populations.

Wow, I didn’t know that…good thing I don’t love Hearts of Palm!

1. Dwarf Palmetto, 2. Blooms on a Palm……., 3. Palmetto, 4. Palm Tree Trunk, 5. The Nine, 6. Palmetto, 7. Sabal palmetto & Trachycarpus fortunei, 8. Native NC Palms, 9. palmetto palm, 10. Palmetto palm, 11. Cabbage-tree palm frond, 12. Cabbage-tree palm flower