Serenoa repens Silver - Saw Palmetto

The Serenoa repens Silver, sometimes called silver Florida palm, is a small but highly ornamental species. The plant does not produce a false trunk, but over the years it forms a wide bush of beautifully blue-silver fronds.  Its hardiness is acquired down to -8°C in very well-drained soil, and it prefers cool, deep soils and atmospheres that are not too dry. Despite its slow growth, it is an exceptional species for an exotic seaside garden.

The Serenoa repens Silver belongs to the family of Arecaceae. It is a beautiful form with blue-silver foliage of a palm tree that is very common in Florida. The type of species, the cabbage palm, is native to Florida, Texas, South Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi. It is also present in Central America. It is a plant adapted to subtropical, maritime climates, as well as sandy and salty soils.  In nature, the Serenoa repens grows in colonies in sandy terrains, coastal plains, dunes, and pine forests. The species name repens, which means creeping in Latin, refers to the often prostrate stems formed by the plant. This palm tree is also a medicinal plant used in herbal medicine.

The Serenoa repens Silver can reach a height of 3 metres (10 feet), very slowly. Its spreading base is not invasive. But it produces multiple lying false trunks (stipes), which allow it to spread laterally. They are fibrous and often partially buried. Eventually, the plant can measure well over 3 metres (10 feet) in width if the cultivation conditions are suitable. The foliage, particularly decorative, is evergreen throughout the year. It consists of large palmate leaves that can reach 60 cm (24in) in length. They are flat, divided into many rigid segments, initially greenish-blue glaucous, becoming silvery at maturity. Each leaf is carried by a petiole covered with small curved spines, resembling saw teeth. This characteristic has earned it the nickname 'saw palm'.

The flowering, which occurs in summer on very old trees, consists of pale yellow, fragrant flowers that will give rise, in favourable climates, to oval fruits of a blackish colour, resembling olives or small dates.

Remarkably colourful and structurally pleasing, the Serenoa repens Silver is worth trying in mild coastal gardens.. It should be planted in a semi-shaded position, for example in a pine forest. To accompany it, consider Strelitzia, Eucalyptus, cycads, and other mimosas.