01.
A Bit of Botany
a little botanical information on saw palmetto
description
Saw palmetto is a fan palm in the Arecaceae family.
The plant's leaves have a bare petiole that terminates in about 20 leaflets arranges as a rounded fan.
Sharp, fine teeth or spines protect the petiole which lend the plant its common name.
These protrusions can break the skin easily;
and protection should be worn as a precaution when working around a saw palmetto.
Inland, saw palmetto's leaves
are light green, though in coastal regions they appear silvery-white. They are
1–2 meters in length, with each of the leaflets being 50–100 cm long. They are similar in appearance to the leaves
of the palmettos of genus Sabal.
The flowers of the saw palmetto are yellowish-white and about 5 mm
across. They produced in dense compound panicles reaching up to 60 cm long. The plant's reddish-black fruit is a
large drupe.
common names & nomenclature
The generic name serenoa is in honor of Sereno Watson, an American botanist active in the later 19th century.
Also known as:
saw palmetto, serenoa repens, sabal serrulatum
