Sabal maritima - Jamaican Palmetto

The Jamaican Palmetto is a large palm tree native to Cuba and Jamaica, appreciated in tropical climates for its robustness, fairly rapid growth, and ease of cultivation. Similar to Sabal causarium and S. domingensis, it differs in having a more slender trunk or stipe, shorter upright inflorescences, petioles covered with light scales, and a more brightly coloured crown of fronds. In its native lands, it easily invades old fields and fallows, on rocky, sandy, and limestone soils. It develops a straight, fairly thin, whitish false trunk, topped by a very beautiful crown of intensely green, slightly trailing fronds. It is a very beautiful tropical palm tree that can only be grown in the ground in hot and sunny coastal areas, protected from severe frosts.

The Jamaican Palmetto belongs to the family of Arecaceae. It can reach a height of 18m (59ft) in nature, probably no more than 10 to 12m (33 to 39ft) in most European gardens. This species shows moderately rapid growth, adapts to any type of loose, well-drained, and deep soil, even saline, and can tolerate brief frosts of around -5 to -6°C once mature.

When young, the Maritime Sabal forms a bushy clump, and after 10 to 12 years, it develops a single false trunk (stipe), cylindrical, straight, slender, 25 to 35cm (10 to 14in) in diameter, whitish-grey in colour and smooth. The foliage is arranged in a terminal crown at the top of the stipe, and can eventually span 4m (13ft). The crown is composed of 25 costapalmate leaves, which means palmate leaves arranged in a fan shape around a central axis. In the Jamaican Palmetto, the leaf petiole can measure up to 1.8m (6ft) long and is covered with tiny light brown, deciduous scales. Each leaf, averaging 2m (7ft) in width, displays a very bright green colour. It is divided into 70 to 100 rigid segments that can measure up to 1.3m (4ft) long, with a slight cleft at the tip. Filaments are present on the axis of the segments. The flowering, which occurs on mature individuals, consists of ascending, branched inflorescences between the leaves, with cream-white bisexual flowers, slightly fragrant, of the same length as the leaves. The fruit is spherical or pear-shaped, measuring up to 1.4cm (1in) in diameter and turns black when ripe.

The Jamaican Palmetto is a magnificent specimen to plant as a standalone in seaside gardens, or in rows, especially in warm climates that are not too dry. Its hardiness will likely depend on soil drainage, duration of frosts, and ambient humidity. Plant this magnificent species near an entrance, or on either side of a gate; planted alone near a swimming pool, it will be superb and will surprise your visitors. It can be grown in a large container for several years. The plant should be stored in a tropical-type greenhouse (heated and slightly humid) during winter.