Dwarf Palmetto

Sabal minor, dwarf palmetto, is a species of fan palm native to the southeastern United States. Thriving in heat and humidity, the dwarf palmetto is especially tolerant of frost, remaining green throughout St. Martin Parish winters, finding company with live oaks, red cedars and other native evergreens. The plant rarely grows taller than six feet, and except for older specimens, which can grow up to ten or twelve feet tall, its trunk remains entirely underground. Fronds feature four-foot-wide fans, and once provided Natives with the perfect material for waterproof thatching, or, dried, as kindling for campfires. More recently, the fronds have found ceremonial use in Catholic Palm Sunday services.