Habitat Photos of Sabal mexicana

[Fusca]

I was in Brownsville this past weekend and stopped by the Sabal Palm Sanctuary to see some nice old Sabal mexicanas.  The Sabal Palm Sanctuary is a 557-acre nature reserve and bird sanctuary.

[Fusca]

[Fusca]

[RJ]

Thanks for sharing!

[palmsOrl]

I might mistake the tall ones for Sabal palmetto.

[Austinpalm]

Great pix Jon.  Thanks for sharing.  That is a great place for botany, birding, and herping.  Just be sure to bring some mosquito repellent. 

[Fusca]

Very true - mosquitoes are bad right now and will carry you off if you're not careful!   

S. mexicana should be definitely be used more here.  This is one of the few places I've seen any with only a few old leaf boots attached.  I've seen a few commercial plantings with mexicana and palmetto side-by-side and it's easier to see the difference.

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

Im definitely gonna have to make it there one of these days. Definitely a cooler time of year tho haha. Is it only mexicana and palmetto ? Any S.Brazoriensis ? 

[Fusca]

Not sure if there are any S. brazoriensis or palmetto there unless they were intentionally introduced.  I did see a mature Phoenix dactylifera that had been planted there along the road leading into the sanctuary and a few things that had been planted near the Rabb house but didn't identify any other non-natives planted beyond the old plantation house which is perhaps just a few hundred feet from the Mexican border.

Edited July 2, 2019 by Fusca

[Xenon]

S. palmetto is almost nonexistant in the RGV. 

If you're still in the area, there is a large coconut palm near the sanctuary (on S. Indiana Ave).

[Fusca]

I must have driven right by that cocos but didn't see it.  I'll keep an eye out for it next time I'm in the area.  Didn't find any coconuts washed up on the beach either - but I did look!  LOL

[Jubaea_James760]

Great habitat pictures Jon  

[Kris]

Nice visuals...Thanks

[Darold Petty]

Thanks for posting ! 

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

I posted pics of the Brazoria in habitat last year if you do a quick search. 

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

2 hours ago, TexasColdHardyPalms said:

I posted pics of the Brazoria in habitat last year if you do a quick search. 

Ty just checked them out sounds like you got all of what Texas could offer you on your adventure haha. Were there any seeds to harvest ? 

[Really full garden]

This palm has an incredibly large range. It grows along the Pacific coast of Guatemala and can be found growing within about 200 meters of the beach. This is the prime palm on the Pacific coast for palm thatching on palapas. It is sometimes listed as S. guatemalensis.

[Mr.SamuraiSword]

2 hours ago, Really full garden said:

This palm has an incredibly large range. It grows along the Pacific coast of Guatemala and can be found growing within about 200 meters of the beach. This is the prime palm on the Pacific coast for palm thatching on palapas. It is sometimes listed as S. guatemalensis.

These dont seem like Mexicana, the trunks seem too thin . 

 

[Really full garden]

8 hours ago, Mr.SamuraiSword said:

These dont seem like Mexicana, the trunks seem too thin . 

 

Dont know where these fotos were taken ? Sabal mexicana is not the only Sabal species in Guatemala. We also have Sabal yapa and Sabal mauritiiformis growing in the departments of Izabal and Peten.

 

 

 

[palmsOrl]

12 hours ago, Mr.SamuraiSword said:

These dont seem like Mexicana, the trunks seem too thin . 

 

I would say Sabal yapa.

[Really full garden]

These are some old Sabal mexicana in the cemetery in Taxisco Guatemala.

Even here the leaves are harvested for roofing.

Its next to impossible to see one with a full crown.