Native Sabal Minor in North Carolina

Gary Hollar

The most widely distributed native palm in the continental United States. It is native to NC, SC, GA, FL, AL, MS, LA, TX, OK and  AR. This small palm was the first palm in the United States to be botanically named and described. It is also known as Blue Stem palmetto and Dwarf palmetto.

Sabal minor is native to most of the NC counties adjacent to the coast and several counties inland from the central coastal plain and south.. It is a very cold hardy bush type palm growing beside creeks and rivers here in eastern NC . The most common size found in habitat here is around three to four feet with no visible trunk, however we have found specimens up to ten feet or so in height with small one to two foot trunks in Hyde, Beaufort, Pamlico and Carteret Counties..

In recent years Sabal Minor has emerged as a very desirable landscape specimen. They are planted as singles or in groups in wet, shady areas where many other plants would not thrive.  Minors can also be planted in full sun as long as plenty of moisture is provided and they make a wonderful under-story plant.

Trunking Sabal minor over eight feet tall in Western Hyde County, NC beside the Pungo River

Sabal minor used as a foundation plant in JC Park in Raleigh, NC

Many Sabal minor in NC have palmate leaves. Here is a leaf from a specimen near Washington, in Beaufort County NC, with costapalmate leaves.

Sabal minor used as foundation shrub. This palm was rescued by the author from in front of a building  that was going to be demolished in downtown New Bern and planted at my home. It had been struggling at the original location for possibly 40 years or more. Now under good care it is thriving.

Sabal minor used as an under-story plant with Crape Myrtle. Nice contrasting color, drought tolerant with the ability to take sun or shade. These were grown from seed collected in Brantley Swamp near Aurora, NC.

Sabal minor for use as a transition plant between a marsh and a lawn area.

Sabal minor in habitat along Slocum Creek in Craven County, NC

Sabal minor found by Carl Cornelius along a tributary of the Pungo River in Hyde County.  Photo by Carl Cornelius

Sabal minor in habitat along Slocum Creek in Craven County, NC

Nursery grown Sabal minor ten years from seed are now over four feet tall.

Sabal minor in production, Gary's Nursery in Craven County, near New Bern, NC.

Carl Cornelius with Sabal minor well over ten feet tall that he found in Pamlico County, NC.

Large 8' clumps of Sabal minor in habitat in Pamlico County, NC.       Photo by Carl Cornelius

Large 8-9 ft Sabal minors growing in a hardwood swamp in Pamlico County near Oriental, NC.  I took my friend and fellow NC nurseryman, Tony Avent, to this site to take photos and collect seeds and he now markets this as

Sabal minor "Oriental Giant". This was his first trip to see native NC Sabal minor in habitat.

Content, including photos, copyright © Gary Hollar 1999-2009