Sabal id?

[JohnAndSancho]

Pretty sure it's Mexicana. Seeking confirmation. 

If anyone wants to confirm via street view, this is the San Marcos restaurant on Hwy 19 in Meridian MS. 

 

I just don't want to post offers without confirmation as to what I've got - these were planted alongside palmettos. 

 

I may have just a handful of these for trades/repaying favors/giveaways but I want confirmation on what I've got first. 

Like the minors I posted in the freebie section, these have endured snow and ice and single digits and triple digits. Long petioles and big fat fronds and trunks I'd struggle to hug. 

 

I love the irony that I went from freaking out about no seeds because the palm in my yard didn't seed this year to having an obscene amount in the span of what, 2 weeks? And NGL I'm tempted to go back for more and then buy a pole saw at Lowes for the palmettos and then return it. 

[Chester B]

Compare to this description.  The seeds should tell you.

 

[Xenon]

Looks like Sabal palmetto to me 

[JohnAndSancho]

1 hour ago, Chester B said:

Compare to this description.  The seeds should tell you.

 

That's a whole bunch of words I don't understand. There's been some competition from time to time, but I like to think I hold the crown as PalmTalk's resident dumbass. At least the most active one. 

46 minutes ago, Xenon said:

Looks like Sabal palmetto to me 

These were next to palmettos, palmetto inflorescences hang down from way high up around the palm. These inflourences were coming out of the center of the palms and much shorter and fatter than palmettos. Unless I'm completely wrong about palmettos. Which is possible. These seeds came from the short stocky guys underneath the tall palmettos 

 

I dunno if this helps but they seem to have put on a good bit of size the last year too

https://maps.app.goo.gl/mrvvPbSNoXv8iuej7

[MrTropical]

+2 on Sabal palmetto

[JohnAndSancho]

2 minutes ago, MrTropical said:

+2 on Sabal palmetto

Are there varieties of palmetto like minor? The taller ones with the skirts of influences I believe are def palmetto but these were a lot shorter and fatter with inflourences from the center and not a skirt under the crown. I guess I can get more better pics next week when I go back for therapy. And maybe I get lunch there too. 

[MrTropical]

Just now, JohnAndSancho said:

Are there varieties of palmetto like minor? The taller ones with the skirts of influences I believe are def palmetto but these were a lot shorter and fatter with inflourences from the center and not a skirt under the crown. I guess I can get more better pics next week when I go back for therapy. And maybe I get lunch there too. 

Apart from Sabal "Lisa" and the hybrids like S. Birmingham, the differences come down to observed cold hardiness (Bald Head Island, Mocksville NC, etc.) 

These look like classic palmettos, and I have seen many along the Bogue Banks in North Carolina that present similar characteristics to the ones you posted (shorter but thicker trunks). My vote is S. palmetto that just happens to exhibit some natural genetic variation. 

[JohnAndSancho]

36 minutes ago, MrTropical said:

Apart from Sabal "Lisa" and the hybrids like S. Birmingham, the differences come down to observed cold hardiness (Bald Head Island, Mocksville NC, etc.) 

These look like classic palmettos, and I have seen many along the Bogue Banks in North Carolina that present similar characteristics to the ones you posted (shorter but thicker trunks). My vote is S. palmetto that just happens to exhibit some natural genetic variation. 

And they just planted them next to your typical palmetto for aesthetics? I mean like I KNOW the tall ones next to these are palmetto. But the inflourence process is more like a Minor. Seeds are black and about 1/4" for what that's worth. 

[MrTropical]

38 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

And they just planted them next to your typical palmetto for aesthetics? I mean like I KNOW the tall ones next to these are palmetto. But the inflourence process is more like a Minor. Seeds are black and about 1/4" for what that's worth. 

It is likely offspring from the taller palmettos. Also, I have seen palmettos push out inflorescences around that size in NC. 

At the GoGas in Swansboro, NC… 

[JohnAndSancho]

10 minutes ago, MrTropical said:

It is likely offspring from the taller palmettos. Also, I have seen palmettos push out inflorescences around that size in NC. 

At the GoGas in Swansboro, NC… 

I'm just still stuck on these inflourences coming from the center like a Minor vs the skirt like a palmetto. Either way I have probably 5 pounds of seeds once they're removed from the inflourence. @Sabal Kingany thoughts? I don't know who else our Sabal experts are. There's several of these stumpy fat guys underneath the tall telephone pole palmettos so it's not like there's just one, and they're planted together. I can always go get more pictures next week, and I've got permission to grab all the seeds I can reach but unless there's demand from y'all for some, I don't want to take up my real estate growing mystery palms for 3-5 years to wait and see 😂 I mean they look radically different from the ones I KNOW are palmetto. 

[MrTropical]

4 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

I'm just still stuck on these inflourences coming from the center like a Minor vs the skirt like a palmetto. Either way I have probably 5 pounds of seeds once they're removed from the inflourence. @Sabal Kingany thoughts? I don't know who else our Sabal experts are. There's several of these stumpy fat guys underneath the tall telephone pole palmettos so it's not like there's just one, and they're planted together. I can always go get more pictures next week, and I've got permission to grab all the seeds I can reach but unless there's demand from y'all for some, I don't want to take up my real estate growing mystery palms for 3-5 years to wait and see 😂 I mean they look radically different from the ones I KNOW are palmetto. 

Understandable. Yeah, I think @Sabal King would be our best bet for a positive ID. 

[JohnAndSancho]

1 minute ago, MrTropical said:

Understandable. Yeah, I think @Sabal King would be our best bet for a positive ID. 

I mean y'all could be right and it could be a genetic mutation of a palmetto. I'm not a complete idiot, I sound really smart around non-plant people but I come over here and I sound like a blithering idiot that can't say much more than "oooh pretty," but I can run a hotel and I can design a killer car audio system and I can fix anything in a first generation Toyota Tacoma and I'm full of worthless 80s-90s sports and pop culture trivia. But this ain't my wheelhouse. 

[MrTropical]

2 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

I mean y'all could be right and it could be a genetic mutation of a palmetto. I'm not a complete idiot, I sound really smart around non-plant people but I come over here and I sound like a blithering idiot that can't say much more than "oooh pretty," but I can run a hotel and I can design a killer car audio system and I can fix anything in a first generation Toyota Tacoma and I'm full of worthless 80s-90s sports and pop culture trivia. But this ain't my wheelhouse. 

You’re all good John, that’s the purpose of these forums. To learn and help others learn. To share ideas and suggestions. Whether you’re a professional or not, there’s something we can always learn.  

[palmsweez]

I tend to agree with @MrTropical and @Xenon. Good ole palmetto 

[JohnAndSancho]

15 minutes ago, MrTropical said:

You’re all good John, that’s the purpose of these forums. To learn and help others learn. To share ideas and suggestions. Whether you’re a professional or not, there’s something we can always learn.  

You can lower the front end of a first generation Toyota Tacoma a lot with shorter stiffer coil springs and by relocating the ball joints from the bottom to the top of the control arms. 69 Camaro shocks are a perfect fit but you have to use a grinder to make little notches in the lower ears, or if you've got money you can just use QA1 coilovers as a complete replacement with a little grinding and cutting. For earlier Toyotas or mini trucks with torison bar suspension, a 19mm and a 14mm is all you need but handling is going to suffer. But a deep dive on the genetic analysis of palm trees is not my level.

@Allen thoughts? @teddytn? 

[JohnAndSancho]

The more I look at it maybe y'all are right and these palmettos just grew shorter and fatter due to being shaded by the taller ones? If so what are the odds I get short fat ones and not telephone poles? Don't get me wrong, I like the normal palmetto but they also remind me a lot of Washies or full sun grown hairless Trachies. I'd rather have these fat ones all day. 

[Xenon]

I think what you're seeing is just natural stretching of the leaves and petioles due to light competition with the surrounding vegetation. Makes the crown look wider and more open vs the older trunking palms that don't have to compete for light. 

The "look" won't be reflected in the seeds becuase it's not genetic. But you can replicate the look by grouping several palms together, shade, etc. 

[Zone7Bpalmguy]

@JohnAndSancho Whatever they are, even if regular palmetto, they're very nice. I hope to see mine trunked like that some day. I love them!

[ryjohn]

I have both and fruit size alone is clear indicator this is not mexicana.  It’s Sabal palmetto 

[JohnAndSancho]

Gooooot it. Thanks y'all. 

 

So doubling back, any chance that these seeds from the short fat ones retain the traits vs turning into the telephone poles or is it growing conditions (shade) or is it just a roll of the dice and we won't know for 5 years? 

[MrTropical]

2 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

Gooooot it. Thanks y'all. 

 

So doubling back, any chance that these seeds from the short fat ones retain the traits vs turning into the telephone poles or is it growing conditions (shade) or is it just a roll of the dice and we won't know for 5 years? 

I did more research into this topic earlier, and it does seem to be an environmental factor. If those seeds sprout in a shady location, they're more likely to look similar to the ones you posted. If they sprout in a sunny location, they're more likely to become a "telephone pole" as you described it. 

[JohnAndSancho]

13 hours ago, MrTropical said:

I did more research into this topic earlier, and it does seem to be an environmental factor. If those seeds sprout in a shady location, they're more likely to look similar to the ones you posted. If they sprout in a sunny location, they're more likely to become a "telephone pole" as you described it. 

Got it. Run an 800 foot extension cord into the woods and fill up a giant Sterilite tray with heat mats in the woods and sprout them there. Got it 😂

[JLM]

Germination location is not as relevant when you're not just sowing directly into the ground.

A seedling that was grown in a greenhouse or under shade will be stretched, until you put them in full sun, where they will gradually become more compact over time.

The variations in the way one palmetto looks from another is all usually due to environmental factors, and also whether or not they get slaughtered every year under the guise of "hurricane resistance".

[TropicsEnjoyer]

On 11/13/2025 at 1:35 AM, JohnAndSancho said:

Pretty sure it's Mexicana. Seeking confirmation. 

If anyone wants to confirm via street view, this is the San Marcos restaurant on Hwy 19 in Meridian MS. 

 

I just don't want to post offers without confirmation as to what I've got - these were planted alongside palmettos. 

 

I may have just a handful of these for trades/repaying favors/giveaways but I want confirmation on what I've got first. 

Like the minors I posted in the freebie section, these have endured snow and ice and single digits and triple digits. Long petioles and big fat fronds and trunks I'd struggle to hug. 

 

I love the irony that I went from freaking out about no seeds because the palm in my yard didn't seed this year to having an obscene amount in the span of what, 2 weeks? And NGL I'm tempted to go back for more and then buy a pole saw at Lowes for the palmettos and then return it. 

do you just carry loppers in your car and bring them out whenever you see a good inflo of seeds? I would love to do the same but i’d be too embarrassed 😂 Home depot parking lot sabals have a crap ton of seeds rn i’m wishing I could just pole saw them off

[JohnAndSancho]

2 hours ago, TropicsEnjoyer said:

do you just carry loppers in your car and bring them out whenever you see a good inflo of seeds? I would love to do the same but i’d be too embarrassed 😂 Home depot parking lot sabals have a crap ton of seeds rn i’m wishing I could just pole saw them off

No, I use my teeth 😂 actually these and the Minors I've snagged weren't bad at all. Loppers woulda been easier but it's better than swinging a brand new shop light in a box to knock seeds down off a tall palmetto outside Wal Mart on the 1st of the month at lunchtime to get like 20 seeds, which I also did. 

 

I wish someone wanted some of these.