Sabal causiarum in Savannah, GA

[Tom GA]

In an earlier post on Sabal minor, I mentioned that the Southeastern Palm Society has four specimens of Sabal causisarum at our palm collection at the Coastal Botanical Gardens (aka The Bamboo Farm) in Savannah, GA. I collected the seed for these four palms in 1998 at the University of Florida at Gainesville.

Here are a couple of recent photos. Sorry about the poor quality - both are cell phone photos and one was taken at night, but they do give some sense of size.

The first is my son with a causiarum - he was three when the two of us collected the seed. He is now a freshman at the University of Georgia.

The second shows a pretty good view of the crown showing the ligules. We weren't trying to show them so better angles can be gotten, and will be. The palm, though, is just massive compared to any other Sabal we can grow in our area.

[Tom GA]

Actually, my son is in the red shirt in the night photo!

[_Keith]

Awesome photos. These are obviously a little hardier than generally given credit for.

[palm tree man]

Wow, they have really grown. It has been far too long since I have been there. Such beautiful sabal!

[Sabal Steve]

Oh my.....

[palm tree man]

Yes they are pretty hardy here Keith. Are you growing any in Louisiana?

[Alicehunter2000]

Love them, great pictures....would like to see more. Hopefully mine will get hardier as it has a chance to acclimate, it took this winter pretty hard and is looking burned up at the moment. Hopefully by the end of this summer it will look like those in the picture.

[Mandrew968]

Awesome! was under the impression they were not as hardy as palmetto. Tom, have you ever tried domingensis? What other palms are you growing besides Butia odorata(I know those are all over)?

[Tom GA]

We have the following Sabal species at the Bamboo Farm (this is in Savannah):

Sabal causiarum

S. domingensis (15 feet of trunk)

S. bermudana (maybe)

S. etonia

S. palmetto

S. mexicana

S. uresana

S. minor including 'Blountstown Dwarf,' 'McCurtain County,' 'Taliaferro,' 'Texas Hill Country,' 'Dallas,' 'Warren Ark.,' 'Monkey Island, NC,'

S. minor 'Louisiana'

S. xbrazoriensis

S. 'Birmingham'

S. 'Tamaulipas'

[Zeeth]

We have the following Sabal species at the Bamboo Farm (this is in Savannah):

Sabal causiarum

S. domingensis (15 feet of trunk)

S. bermudana (maybe)

S. etonia

S. palmetto

S. mexicana

S. uresana

S. minor including 'Blountstown Dwarf,' 'McCurtain County,' 'Taliaferro,' 'Texas Hill Country,' 'Dallas,' 'Warren Ark.,' 'Monkey Island, NC,'

S. minor 'Louisiana'

S. xbrazoriensis

S. 'Birmingham'

S. 'Tamaulipas'

Have you ever tried growing S. mauritiiformis there?

[Tom GA]

Mauritiiformis is planted in Jacksonville, and does well there, but that's more than 100 miles south. The Bamboo Farm site is definitely an 8b microclimate. We also have S. maritima and it suffers below 25F.

[palm tree man]

Yes it is west of the inter-coastal waterway. We have always had a saying; east of 95 tender palms thrive; west of 95 some need protection to stay alive. It was just a local expression anyway. I am going to head up 17 next week and visit the Bamboo farm again. I was wanted to see how the different varieties of bamboo were as well. It is really a beautiful place and a great family trip as well.

[Tom GA]

Have fun. I have my own saying about the Bamboo Farm, sitting as it does (east of I-95) but on the Ogeechee basin. It is the New York of subtropical palm growing: "If it can make it there, it can make it anywhere!"

[palm tree man]

The soil is pretty good there though, but it does seem to be in an area where cold air gathers. I am going to take my girls and try to pass on the joy of palms to them as well. They are going to get to see most of my plants in their full glory anyway when I am long gone.

[Sabal Steve]

Hey Tom,

Do you own the farm? Do you use it for commercial purposes? Selling seed, plants, mature trees?

[Tom GA]

Steve, the "Bamboo Farm" is something of a misnomer nowadays. The official name of the site is the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens. Originally it was part of a rice plantation and then became a USDA plant introduction station. Back then, David Fairchild was involved. Later, it was deeded to the University of Georgia, and it remains theirs today.

I used to be president of the Southeastern Palm Society and back in 1996 we started looking for a site to house our society's palm collection. I thought it was important that we have some public outlet for our efforts. We began planting palms there in 1997, and in 2002 I and another member planted the Sabal collection. Probably the best horticultural effort I've ever made!

http://www.coastalgeorgiabg.org/

[Mandrew968]

Looks like you have a Sabal lisa too.

[Zeeth]

Looks like you have a Sabal lisa too.

We were talking about that in the other thread, that's actually from the same seed batch as the palm pictured in this thread.

[_Keith]

Steve, the "Bamboo Farm" is something of a misnomer nowadays. The official name of the site is the Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens. Originally it was part of a rice plantation and then became a USDA plant introduction station. Back then, David Fairchild was involved. Later, it was deeded to the University of Georgia, and it remains theirs today.

I used to be president of the Southeastern Palm Society and back in 1996 we started looking for a site to house our society's palm collection. I thought it was important that we have some public outlet for our efforts. We began planting palms there in 1997, and in 2002 I and another member planted the Sabal collection. Probably the best horticultural effort I've ever made!

http://www.coastalgeorgiabg.org/

Congratulations and thank you for that horticultural effort, Tom. I remember corresponding with you a few times when I was first getting into the palm hobby. Leadship that directly engages the public and membership is a wonderful asset for an organization. I know it takes a big personal committment of time and energy, and in your case direct pyysical effort. They were lucky to have you for that period.

Thank you again,

Keith

[Phoenikakias]

We have the following Sabal species at the Bamboo Farm (this is in Savannah):

Sabal causiarum

S. domingensis (15 feet of trunk)

S. bermudana (maybe)

S. etonia

S. palmetto

S. mexicana

S. uresana

S. minor including 'Blountstown Dwarf,' 'McCurtain County,' 'Taliaferro,' 'Texas Hill Country,' 'Dallas,' 'Warren Ark.,' 'Monkey Island, NC,'

S. minor 'Louisiana'

S. xbrazoriensis

S. 'Birmingham'

S. 'Tamaulipas'

Please post also a couple pics of the domigensis

[Tom GA]

Here is Sabal domingensis. I grew this from seed collected from an old palm in Tampa, FL. It's the palm on the left and it should be noted that it was planted as a 3-gallon palm a year before the Sabal palmettos to the right were planted as mature trees!

Here is the seed parent in Tampa. I took the photo in about 1998, when I collected the seed.

[Alicehunter2000]

Nice....feel free to post more pictures.....

[Phoenikakias]

Much obliged Tom! Now having you eye-witnessed both causiarum and domigensis in various sizes (I assume so), is it real my impression that causiarum has proportionally longer petioles? I feel I have to apologize for my persistance, but apart from what I grow in my garden, Sabal genus is almost unknown here and I do not have the opportunity to see live the features of each specimen...

Edited March 20, 2014 by Phoenikakias

[Tom GA]

I don't know if I would say that is a definining characteristic, but yes, causiarum petioles are very long. It seems to me, though, that domingensis resembles palmetto a little more, except for the smooth trunk (like causiarum). Causiarum, however, is just so massive. That and the strap-like ligules really set it apart.

Here is a nice domingensis at the Gizella Kopsick Palm Arboretum in St. Petersburg, FL. (Actually, two). It's hard to tell in the photo but the trunks are smooth but intermediate in size between causiarum and palmetto. The crown size is much larger than palmetto, however, and the leaves are a darker grey-green.

[palm tree man]

I took some old pictures of the Bamboo farm...................before digital photography was affordable by the masses. I will try to scan them "if I can find them" and post them. My Aunt's boyfriend was a long term member of the SES many years ago.