Today I visited the Maritime Hammock Sanctuary for the first time. It's about 8 miles south of my house, and I don't know why I waited so long to go there. I only walked two of the three sections. Here are a few pix of palms in habitat there. (Oh, and if anyone knows what the bumpy tree is, please comment with the species.)

Thanks for sharing!

Nice pictures.  What is the palm with the silvery leaves?  Serenoa repens?

2 hours ago, Jubaea said:

Nice pictures.  What is the palm with the silvery leaves?  Serenoa repens?

Almost positive that it's the silver variety of serenoa reopens.  

 

Great pics.  Thanks for sharing. :-)

7 hours ago, Jubaea said:

Nice pictures.  What is the palm with the silvery leaves?  Serenoa repens?

Yep. That clump was particularly silver, though. I didn't get in the picture, but it was growing on the edge of water. It was a real stunner.

Here are a few more pix, including a wider shot of the extra silver beauty, the park map (I only hiked the two smaller tracts), and hurricane damage along the lagoon. I think that coconut was viable. I wonder whether we'll get any sprouting along the lagoon after Matthew.

 

Cool! Did you notice if Swietenia mahagoni grows wild there? 

44 minutes ago, Zeeth said:

Cool! Did you notice if Swietenia mahagoni grows wild there? 

I was not looking too closely. To be honest, the mosquitoes got so bad that I almost trotted the last mile. The smaller stretches of trail that I hiked, however, did not seem to be particularly rich in tree species. I felt that gumbo limbo and native ficus trees were much less common than I would have otherwise expected. There were, however, some monumental oaks. I'll keep a close eye out when I hike the larger section, which I hope to do before the month is out.

37 minutes ago, Yunder Wækraus said:

I was not looking too closely. To be honest, the mosquitoes got so bad that I almost trotted the last mile. The smaller stretches of trail that I hiked, however, did not seem to be particularly rich in tree species. I felt that gumbo limbo and native ficus trees were much less common than I would have otherwise expected. There were, however, some monumental oaks. I'll keep a close eye out when I hike the larger section, which I hope to do before the month is out.

Okay, sounds good! I'm not sure if their native range extends that far north, but I believe they're cultivated in the area, so it's not out of the question that they could escape from cultivation. 

10 hours ago, DCA_Palm_Fan said:

Almost positive that it's the silver variety of serenoa reopens.  

 

Great pics.  Thanks for sharing. :-)

 

5 hours ago, Yunder Wækraus said:

Yep. That clump was particularly silver, though. I didn't get in the picture, but it was growing on the edge of water. It was a real stunner.

I did not know that Serenoa repens could get silver like that.  Those look a lot better than the green ones.

2 hours ago, Jubaea said:

 

I did not know that Serenoa repens could get silver like that.  Those look a lot better than the green ones.

Yeah, I wish I had a clump like that 

Great pics! I love the Silver Saw Palmetto. is this post asking for other peoples pics of sabal palmetto in habitat?

16 minutes ago, Mr.SamuraiSword said:

Great pics! I love the Silver Saw Palmetto. is this post asking for other peoples pics of sabal palmetto in habitat?

Sure! :-)

4 hours ago, Jubaea said:

 

I did not know that Serenoa repens could get silver like that.  Those look a lot better than the green ones.

Hey sure do. But as has been pointed out that one is particularly silvery. They are beautiful.  I like the greens too but when you get a really silvery one like this one it's a treat for sure!  

well, heres a few sabals I saw growing near the ocean on the ft island trail near crystal river FL.

1 minute ago, Mr.SamuraiSword said:

well, heres a few sabals I saw growing near the ocean on the ft island trail near crystal river FL.

Those look amazingly tall! Do you think they're over 75' high?

1 hour ago, DCA_Palm_Fan said:

Hey sure do. But as has been pointed out that one is particularly silvery. They are beautiful.  I like the greens too but when you get a really silvery one like this one it's a treat for sure!  

Yeah, I don't know if it was the lighting (it was about 6pm), the water beneath it, or what, but that was one of the most stunningly silver clumps I've seen anywhere. I'll have to visit it again to see whether it looks just as silver with different lighting. I suspect it will hold up. It's not easily accessible, but I might be willing to go off the trail to get seeds. When do these things normally produce seeds around here?

Just now, Yunder Wækraus said:

Those look amazingly tall! Do you think they're over 75' high?

That sounds about right.  These must have seen the 1899 bilzzard, and the freezes of the 80s.  these have seen everything florida could throw at them

Just now, Mr.SamuraiSword said:

That sounds about right.  These must have seen the 1899 bilzzard, and the freezes of the 80s.  these have seen everything florida could throw at them

It's hard to believe Sabals get that old. Does anyone really know how long a cabbage palm can live? I know they can grow as little a few inches in a year. A 75' cabbage palm could be 150 years old or more at that rate.

4 minutes ago, Yunder Wækraus said:

It's hard to believe Sabals get that old. Does anyone really know how long a cabbage palm can live? I know they can grow as little a few inches in a year. A 75' cabbage palm could be 150 years old or more at that rate.

Sabals have been known to live around 200-250 years old.  one was recorded in 1860 and then found again in 1999  its still alive untill 2014

Edited October 23, 20169 yr by Mr.SamuraiSword

1 hour ago, Yunder Wækraus said:

Yeah, I don't know if it was the lighting (it was about 6pm), the water beneath it, or what, but that was one of the most stunningly silver clumps I've seen anywhere. I'll have to visit it again to see whether it looks just as silver with different lighting. I suspect it will hold up. It's not easily accessible, but I might be willing to go off the trail to get seeds. When do these things normally produce seeds around here?

 Pools be the lighting. Could be a flash too.  Or it could be that silver.  I've seen some that were remarkably silver before.  Just very infrequent.  

They fruit are usually ready late summer to early fall (now) from what I know of it.  They're supposedly difficult germinators.  It can take the seed up to 6 months to germinate.  I'm. It sure why the rate is so low though. Since its dispersal is usually boa animals / birds, mauve passing through the digestive tract does something to it to help it germinate?  Just a guess but could be. I'm no expert. Maybe someone else that has actual experience with it knows more.  :-)

oh and if you do try to get seeds or you ever mess with planting them be extremely careful and wear good protection. They're called saw palmetto for a reason and they will leave some nasty gashes on you.  I had first hand experience with his as a kid playing in the kids behind my aunt and uncles house in Saint Augustine. Ouch. 

15 hours ago, Yunder Wækraus said:

Yeah, I don't know if it was the lighting (it was about 6pm), the water beneath it, or what, but that was one of the most stunningly silver clumps I've seen anywhere. I'll have to visit it again to see whether it looks just as silver with different lighting. I suspect it will hold up. It's not easily accessible, but I might be willing to go off the trail to get seeds. When do these things normally produce seeds around here?

Down here seeds ripen in July/August. I didn't find the green variety seeds difficult to germinate. Biggest problem around here is vanloads of seed poachers trespass private and public land to strip seeds from saw palmettos then sell them for manufacturing prostate supplements. Troubling because new generations of palmettos are wiped out every year.

Ripe seeds are black.

Attached photo:  Wild sabal palmettos growing on a beach island within the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge, along the Gulf of Mexico coast in northern Florida.  The island was less than a km south of Shired Island, but it has no name.  There were nice, old trees, but not as tall as the cabbage palms in the photos above.

12 hours ago, Sandy Loam said:

Attached photo:  Wild sabal palmettos growing on a beach island within the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge, along the Gulf of Mexico coast in northern Florida.  The island was less than a km south of Shired Island, but it has no name.  There were nice, old trees, but not as tall as the cabbage palms in the photos above.

Lovely photo

Here is some video of the silver saw palmetto I took today: https://youtu.be/MXNsbRIB0SA

Highlands Hammock State Park near Sebring, Florida, has some very tall Sabal palmettos. The park used to hold the world record for the tallest Sabal Palmetto at 90 feet, but it was killed by lighting about 10 or more years ago. Still, there are some very tall sabals in the park, and many are serpentine and twisted into various odd shapes.

I took this photo 14 years ago of a tall Sabal palmetto, standing by its base, so six feet or so of the trunk can't (lower six feet) can't be shown.

The management of the park is intent on keeping the park in it's natural condition, therefore no none native palms are allowed in the park, nor native palms that aren't native to the park. Crews of volunteers comb the park for non native plants and remove them. However, the last time I was there I spotted a Phoenix reclinata that was growing off the beaten path.

 

On 10/23/2016, 6:23:27, Mr.SamuraiSword said:

That sounds about right.  These must have seen the 1899 bilzzard, and the freezes of the 80s.  these have seen everything florida could throw at them

Of course they are fine! They are natives! America tough! 

19 minutes ago, Walt said:

Highlands Hammock State Park near Sebring, Florida, has some very tall Sabal palmettos. The park used to hold the world record for the tallest Sabal Palmetto at 90 feet, but it was killed by lighting about 10 or more years ago. Still, there are some very tall sabals in the park, and many are serpentine and twisted into various odd shapes.

I took this photo 14 years ago of a tall Sabal palmetto, standing by its base, so six feet or so of the trunk can't (lower six feet) can't be shown.

The management of the park is intent on keeping the park in it's natural condition, therefore no none native palms are allowed in the park, nor native palms that aren't native to the park. Crews of volunteers comb the park for non native plants and remove them. However, the last time I was there I spotted a Phoenix reclinata that was growing off the beaten path.

 

I am sure that Phoenix reclinata will get ripped out soon enough...?

Here are some pics of the same area.

I tried getting seeds from this white Serenoa but there were no seeds on it at the time. 

I 

Some of the oaks had nice epiphytes.

Encyclia tampensis:

On 10/23/2016, 6:25:31, Yunder Wækraus said:

It's hard to believe Sabals get that old. Does anyone really know how long a cabbage palm can live? I know they can grow as little a few inches in a year. A 75' cabbage palm could be 150 years old or more at that rate.

They actually grow pretty fast once they establish their  subterranean trunk. I have one in the garden that was just starting to show trunk 8 years ago and now has about 9 feet of clear trunk. They will also grow slower and not as tall if they have no competition for light. With competition they keep getting taller. So a foot of trunk per year is not out of the question with competition for light.  So let's say it takes 10 years from seedling to a specimen that is starting to trunk. And then a foot of trunk per year in favorable conditions. A 75 foot tall tree could be around 85-90 years old? What do you guys think? 

21 hours ago, Zeeth said:

Here are some pics of the same area.

I tried getting seeds from this white Serenoa but there were no seeds on it at the time. 

I 

Some of the oaks had nice epiphytes.

Encyclia tampensis:

She was a beauty, eh? Your wonderful photo really does the plant justice.

It's one of the most silver specimens of the genus that I've seen. They should have ripe seed on them sometime around September. Let me know if you're able to get seeds and maybe we can make a trade?

10 minutes ago, Zeeth said:

It's one of the most silver specimens of the genus that I've seen. They should have ripe seed on them sometime around September. Let me know if you're able to get seeds and maybe we can make a trade?

Remind when I should look, and I'll gladly get some for you (no need for a trade!). I'm just pleased another enthusiast agrees with me that it's a special palm :-)

On ‎10‎/‎27‎/‎2016‎ ‎8‎:‎13‎:‎05‎, PalmTreeDude said:

I am sure that Phoenix reclinata will get ripped out soon enough...?

Quite possibly. But I found the P. reclinata deep enough in the jungle that you can't see it from the pathways. I was off the beaten path looking for Sabal minors when I spotted it.

On 11/27/2016, 10:37:21, Zeeth said:

Here are some pics of the same area.

I tried getting seeds from this white Serenoa but there were no seeds on it at the time. 

I 

Some of the oaks had nice epiphytes.

Encyclia tampensis:

Great photos.  Thanks for sharing.  That silver / white serenoa is stunning.  It's like a ghost in the jungle.   Beautiful.   

On 11/28/2016, 9:01:40, Walt said:

Quite possibly. But I found the P. reclinata deep enough in the jungle that you can't see it from the pathways. I was off the beaten path looking for Sabal minors when I spotted it.

Maybe no park staff or volunteers will find it for quite some time. 

I forgot I had taken these.  These were taken in the Everglades, near I 75 way out in it towards the west central side.    

Here are some at Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge, S.C. This is hear Hilton Head Island. It is a great example of the South Carolina coast.

 

 

 

 

The Sabal palmetto in S.C. looked different than the ones growing in FL. 

If you are still interested, the bumpy tree is Hercules Club, Zanthoxylum clava-herculis, considered a native plant in Florida and in some of the southeast, I think.