Stats

Lifespan

Decades

Size

Small

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Florida scrub

Range

North America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Armor

Status

Rare

About

The scrub palmetto is a dwarf palm found only in Florida sand pine scrub habitats. Its stem grows entirely underground, leaving only the fan-shaped leaves visible above the soil.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Liliopsida

Order

Arecales

Family

Arecaceae

Genus

Sabal

Species

Sabal etonia