Sabal minor Wakulla Dwarf or Blountstown Dwarf

[NorthFlpalmguy]

Sabal minor Wakulla Dwarf or Blountstown Dwarf- Does anybody have these and any additional info on them besides what a google search will bring up?

[PalmatierMeg]

I have 4 Blountstown dwarf and 2 Wakulla dwarf.

My largest Blountstown has set fruit for the 2nd time after skipping last year. The other 3 are juveniles in my garden lot and have just started going palmate. My largest is truly dwarf: 17-18" tall and 3' wide. Its leaves form only 60 degree angles compared to the full leaves of other Sabals and tend to lie flat near the ground. From what I've read this dwarf grows true from seed but I haven't confirmed that. In any case, it is very cool - a "rock garden palm" as the saying goes. I know of someone in Iowa who grows one in a pot and has it flower and set seeds. Most Sabals are poor candidates for pot culture. I hope to germinate more of them to scatter around my property, as they are so compact. Because it is a dwarf palm it produces far fewer seeds than large Sabals. This mutation was discovered in forest near the town of Blountstown in NFL, hence its name

I know very little about the Wakulla dwarf, except its dimensions should approximate those of Blountstown. It also was discovered near the town that gives it its namesake. Are these two varieties closely related or even the same genetically? I don't know. My two are still strap leaf juveniles. I planted them on my garden lot near the 3 Blountstowns (I'm not concerned about hybridization) and I hope eventually to compare these varieties.

Both of these little palms show great promise, esp. for palm lovers in cold climates.

[NorthFlpalmguy]

I agree Meg and thanks for the info! Both locations are relatively close so I bet they're closely related (if not the same).

I was offered some seeds this upcoming year ( I live relatively close to both places) and told they grow true as well. Just haven't heard of much about them but knew someone here had to.

[WestCoastGal]

Meg, do you have any recent photos of yours you can post? We're thinking of ordering a few and wondering what they look like after a few years in the ground.   

Also wondering if anyone in northern Calif is growing either of them in their garden?

[Ben in Norcal]

1 hour ago, WestCoastGal said:

Meg, do you have any recent photos of yours you can post? We're thinking of ordering a few and wondering what they look like after a few years in the ground.   

Also wondering if anyone in northern Calif is growing either of them in their garden?

I have both, Debbie.  But small...

[WestCoastGal]

Thanks Ben. I'll be curious to see how yours do in our area in the coming years. How long have you had yours? I haven't found many photos of either and from what I saw of the Wakulla dwarf it looks like it has fuller shaped fronds and maybe more fronds than the Blounstown but don't know if that's a true representation or if it's just the age of the plant in the photo. I'm thinking of using them in one of our palm beds as kind of an understory plant for our mule and trachycarpus. The area gets some sun and partial shade so think it will do well there. We have 2 S minors and they are both doing well in our hot, dry climate here so sure these dwarfs will be happy too. 

[Ben in Norcal]

40 minutes ago, WestCoastGal said:

Thanks Ben. I'll be curious to see how yours do in our area in the coming years. How long have you had yours? I haven't found many photos of either and from what I saw of the Wakulla dwarf it looks like it has fuller shaped fronds and maybe more fronds than the Blounstown but don't know if that's a true representation or if it's just the age of the plant in the photo. I'm thinking of using them in one of our palm beds as kind of an understory plant for our mule and trachycarpus. The area gets some sun and partial shade so think it will do well there. We have 2 S minors and they are both doing well in our hot, dry climate here so sure these dwarfs will be happy too. 

Yes, I just got mine this summer when I found out about them.  I am trying one in full sun, and one mostly shaded.  Should be interesting to see how they do!

[Sandy Loam]

I was not aware that these are two different varieties of Sabal Minor. Bear in mind that Blountstown is only 53 miles from Crawfordville (Wakulla), so I am not sure how genetically different they could be.

[Ben in Norcal]

7 hours ago, Sandy Loam said:

I was not aware that these are two different varieties of Sabal Minor. Bear in mind that Blountstown is only 53 miles from Crawfordville (Wakulla), so I am not sure how genetically different they could be.

They look pretty similar to me.  I wanted to try them in a couple of different places/conditions, so no harm in getting more than one!

[PalmatierMeg]

I notice I never posted photos of mine - my bad. Will rectify that tomorrow.

[redbeard917]

Here's my Wakulla dwarf. Just planted this summer from a very small pot.

[NorthFlpalmguy]

Thanks for the pic Redbeard. I we are both close to 'ground zero' for these. I've seen quite a few of the Wakulla dwarfs (I suspect) now in habitat but never in cultivation.