Why Are Sabal Palmettos Not Found More Inland?

[PalmTreeDude]

Why in the world is Sabal palmetto not naturally distributed more inland, especially places like the carolinas? If it were to grow in areas where they are really successful grown inland, they would be to Columbia, S.C. and maybe places like Fayetteville, N.C. What is it that limiteds its range so much?

[PalmTreeDude]

BTW all the places I have listed are areas where Sabal palmetto can easily naturalize. 

[Brad Mondel]

They have successfully colonized the east coast because their seeds are carried by ocean currents or rivers and swamps. Swamps don't exist far inland thus the seeds aren't carried there hence no palmettos. 

[Dave-Vero]

Over the long term, coastal climate is significantly milder than inland.  That doesn't explain the lack of wild Sabal palmetto west of about Panama City, Florida.

Sabal palmetto occupies a variety of habitats.  Some are subject to periodic fire, which can control hardwoods.  I think Weakley's online flora comments that at its northern limit, it survives hurricanes quite well and occupies sites where live oaks might have been knocked over.  I think that's a reasonable surmise.

[Xerarch]

On 2/1/2017, 6:59:32, Dave-Vero said:

Over the long term, coastal climate is significantly milder than inland.  That doesn't explain the lack of wild Sabal palmetto west of about Panama City, Florida.

Sabal palmetto occupies a variety of habitats.  Some are subject to periodic fire, which can control hardwoods.  I think Weakley's online flora comments that at its northern limit, it survives hurricanes quite well and occupies sites where live oaks might have been knocked over.  I think that's a reasonable surmise.

I've wondered about their lack of westward expansion as well, seems like they ought to continue all along the gulf coast all the way along Texas at least to where the rainfall decreases below what they need.

[JLeVert]

I think that competition from other plants increases as you go inland.  There are S. palmettos in Augusta, GA that are over 100 years old.  They naturalize readily here.....in fact they can be downright weedy, but the local forests never have them.  The woods are too dense and maybe even too dry.  In Georgia, S. palmetto naturally grows within about 50 miles of the coast.  

 

[PalmTreeDude]

On 2/2/2017, 4:02:34, JLeVert said:

I think that competition from other plants increases as you go inland.  There are S. palmettos in Augusta, GA that are over 100 years old.  They naturalize readily here.....in fact they can be downright weedy, but the local forests never have them.  The woods are too dense and maybe even too dry.  In Georgia, S. palmetto naturally grows within about 50 miles of the coast.  

 

 

Hmm... They do tend to like shrub like or lightly forested areas. And along the banks of rivers and in swamps. I loved looking at the native ones in Hilton Head, S.C. It shows how the coastal forest was not extremely thick. It was more like a tree every 5 - 10 feet from eachother rather than inland where it is like 1 inch to 1 foot from eachother.

[JLeVert]

PalmTreeDude -

At least in Georgia, the inland forests have taller trees than on the coast. The Palmettos might get shaded out easily.   Hurricanes would take care of any tree on the coast that got so ambitious that it soared above all the others.  The most impressive coastal trees are Live Oaks and they are not very tall, but spread widely  

There could also be a vector problem inland:  maybe the wrong birds or too many of them make it difficult for the seeds to disperse easily.  

[PalmTreeDude]

5 hours ago, JLeVert said:

PalmTreeDude -

At least in Georgia, the inland forests have taller trees than on the coast. The Palmettos might get shaded out easily.   Hurricanes would take care of any tree on the coast that got so ambitious that it soared above all the others.  The most impressive coastal trees are Live Oaks and they are not very tall, but spread widely  

There could also be a vector problem inland:  maybe the wrong birds or too many of them make it difficult for the seeds to disperse easily.  

I also agree with this, too many tall trees, compare that to Sabal palmettos average height and growth rate, it would almost seem impossible to grow in the woods there. Well, U guess that is why there are Sabal minor! I looked on Google Maps around Hilton Head and I saw a river that started on the shore, you could see Sabal palmetto all around it, then as you go more inland it reduces to just directly on the bank, then it goes pretty far inland, maybe 2 - 4 miles, and stops. Water really does have a big influence on there distribution. 

[JLeVert]

I was in the Ogeechee River flood plain (about 45 min. southwest of Augusta, GA)  just after Christmas and there were tons of S. minor and R. hystrix growing everywhere.  In the summer, it would be deep shade and periodically flooded in the winter.  It was also tick city!  I named it Zika, Georgia.  I'll bet you'd be dead of something if you wandered down in there in the summer:  snake bite, swamp miasma, malaria, yellow fever, ebola.......you get the picture.  The palms were very happy.