Palm Seedling ID - Sabal Palmetto?

[OriolesRock100]

Hey guys, I bought some "sabal palmetto" seeds online a while back (germinated them in late winter this year), and the seedling has started to grow pretty quickly with the super hot and humid late June-July we've had. I'm hoping someone here can help me confirm this is indeed a sabal. To me, it looks exactly the same as the washingtonia robusta I germinated at a similar time - they're both similar in size (washingtonia is a little bit bigger), same reddish stem/trunk, the wiry filaments coming off the newer strap leaves/first palmate "fronds." I was under the impressions sabals didn't usually get the wiry filaments. Am I crazy, or does this not look identical to a washingtonia rather than a sabal? All 3 pictures attached are of the "sabal," but I can include pictures of the washingtonia for comparison as well if needed. Thanks!

[FilthyFiveHole]

Washingtonia seedling

[OriolesRock100]

12 minutes ago, FilthyFiveHole said:

Washingtonia seedling

Thanks for the quick reply, bummer it isn't a sabal. I have a follow up question in that case - would this community pot I made with the leftover seeds also be washingtonias or is it possible one washingtonia seed somehow got in the sabal seed batch? I've attached a few images of the community pot. They look a bit different from the washingtonia seedlings if I remember correctly, with silvery blueish strap leaves rather than lime green like my other washies had. Thanks again for your help! 🙂

[PalmatierMeg]

6 minutes ago, OriolesRock100 said:

Thanks for the quick reply, bummer it isn't a sabal. I have a follow up question in that case - would this community pot I made with the leftover seeds also be washingtonias or is it possible one washingtonia seed somehow got in the sabal seed batch? I've attached a few images of the community pot. They look a bit different from the washingtonia seedlings if I remember correctly, with silvery blueish strap leaves rather than lime green like my other washies had. Thanks again for your help! 🙂

Sabals. Can't tell species at this stage but palmetto and minor are most likely suspects. You will have an easier time protecting Sabal minor in PA.

[OriolesRock100]

5 minutes ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Sabals. Can't tell species at this stage but palmetto and minor are most likely suspects. You will have an easier time protecting Sabal minor in PA.

Understood, thank you for your help! I wonder how I got a washingtonia seed mixed up with the sabals... I guess I will have to try separating these out into their own pots then soon. Hopefully a couple make it through transplant. I believe these are sabal palmetto (at least that's what they were labeled as where I bought them from online), but I plan to try sabal minor as well since that could probably survive here unprotected after getting established, probably next year at this point since it's already basically August.

[PalmatierMeg]

Sabal minor has many varieties from uber dwarf to giant. You can landscape your yard with the many cultivars out there.

[Fusca]

2 hours ago, OriolesRock100 said:

Understood, thank you for your help! I wonder how I got a washingtonia seed mixed up with the sabals... 

Seeds from both Washingtonia species and Sabal palmetto/minor are somewhat similar.  Below is a comparison of Washingtonia filifera and Sabal minor var. Louisiana with the smaller Washingtonia seed on the left.  Mature fruits (uncleaned seeds) are even more similar looking - both round and black/dark purple.  Your Washingtonia seedling is either robusta or hybrid filibusta (more likely).  You'll notice some cottony fibers on your Sabal seedlings as they grow but not nearly as many as Washingtonia have.  One common name for Washingtonia filifera is "Cotton Palm" because of the many fibers.