A Tale of Two Sabal minors

[PalmatierMeg]

We all know there can be variation among palms of any species. Years ago I germinated two Sabal minors from separate lots of seeds:

1. Standard Sabal minor. I can't remember where they came from. It is the palm on the left in the first photo and is flowering

2. A Sabal minor purported to be a "dwarf" cultivar from Savannah, GA by the guy who sent the seeds to me circa 2008/09. He has long since disappeared into the ether of cyberspace but the so-called 'Savannah Dwarf' (my moniker) remains in my Garden Lot and it is loaded with seeds. Dwarf or not it is a very handsome Sabal: short, rounded and dark green. It is the palm on the right in the first photo. 

I think the two palms bring their own distinctive look to the garden so I took the following photos

Sabal minor (L) and Sabal minor 'Savannah Dwarf', Cape Coral, FL 2024

[SeanK]

What I find more distinctive is how many leaves some keep. Some it's 5-6, others, 9.

[ahosey01]

Do you have ox beetles down there?

[ryjohn]

That palm on the left has far too costapalmate leaves for any standard Sabal minor.  Looks like a young Sabal palmetto to me… and I’m growing a lot of different provinces of Sabal minor in addition to ‘Brazoria’, Sabal palmetto, Sabal mexicana, and Sabal uresana.

[PalmatierMeg]

12 hours ago, ryjohn said:

That palm on the left has far too costapalmate leaves for any standard Sabal minor.  Looks like a young Sabal palmetto to me… and I’m growing a lot of different provinces of Sabal minor in addition to ‘Brazoria’, Sabal palmetto, Sabal mexicana, and Sabal uresana.

They are a bit costapalmate but this non-trunking palm is flowering and is 15-16 years old. My other Sabal palmettos germinated at the same time (2008/09) have 6-8’ trunks. I’m not sure what to think.

[PalmatierMeg]

16 hours ago, ahosey01 said:

Do you have ox beetles down there?

We have a native weevil that attacks Sabals but particularly relishes Bismarckia. The term “ox beetle” is unfamiliar to me.

[ryjohn]

On 6/28/2024 at 10:34 AM, PalmatierMeg said:

They are a bit costapalmate but this non-trunking palm is flowering and is 15-16 years old. My other Sabal palmettos germinated at the same time (2008/09) have 6-8’ trunks. I’m not sure what to think.

I don’t have Sabal etonia and wonder if it could be it.  Also, Sabal palmettos damaged excessively by cold or transplantation in the seedling phase have been observed to forever stay dwarf and nontrunking 

[PalmatierMeg]

I haven’t had any luck with Sabal etonia in the ground, but I haven’t given up on them yet. Palm was germinated from seed and not transplanted. My winters are not nearly cold enough to do damage to any Sabal.

[NMPalmjunky]

My Sabal Minor seed stalks look much different than both examples.  I wonder if mine is a different type of Sabal or if I have created a new strain “Sabal NewMexicana”

[Zeeth]

That palm on the left looks a whole lot like Sabal etonia. I know you've said they don't like your alkaline soil but I haven't seen a minor that costapalmate before. 

[hbernstein]

Sure looks like S. etonia. The palm on the shore is purty!

[PaPalmTrees]

6 hours ago, Zeeth said:

That palm on the left looks a whole lot like Sabal etonia. I know you've said they don't like your alkaline soil but I haven't seen a minor that costapalmate before. 

Yeah they do look like Sabal etonia.