The palmtree in front of you is the Sabal Palm (Sabal palmetto also called the Cabbage Palm) which has the honor of being the Florida State Tree. Palms are not true trees, they are more closely related to grasses. Sabal Palms are hardy plants that grow in swamps, dry plains, fresh or salt water, sun or shade. They can survive fire and hurricanes. The abundant, fragrant flowers, shown in the photo, are attractive to bees and other insects. The berries are an important food source for birds and animals which also use the fiber for nesting. Indigenous People depended on the Sabal Palm for building materials, food, fiber and tools. The top of the tree, the only part that grows, is harvested as a vegetable known as swamp cabbage. Swamp cabbage can be found in the grocery store or in your salad where it has a classier name, Hearts of Palm.
Sabal Palms support many species of epiphytes (plants that live on other plants) and vines. Right overhead is a common vine with leaves in groups of three. It is good to learn how to identify this plant because it is the infamous Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) and it is abundant at CHEC and throughout Florida. You may have heard the saying "Leaves of three, let it be". The leaves, roots and berries are tasty to animals but contain an oily substance, Urushiol, that is terribly irritating to the skin of humans and a few other primates. It is still a mystery what use this plant makes of this chemical since it does not appear to be for defense. Look for some leaves that have tumorous growths on them like those in the photo. These leaves have been attacked by Gall Mites, tiny, spiderlike creatures. Click here to read an amusing comment concerning this mite infestation..
There are two ferns, pictured above, that are commonly found attached to Sabal Palms, the Rabbitfoot Fern (Phlebodium aureum) with its broad, palmate leaves and the Ponytail Fern (Vittaria lineata), which looks like green hair. Both of these ferns live on the tree with little soil and water. The Rabbitfoot Fern (also called Golden Polypody) grows from a golden-colored furry rhyzome that is the source for the common names. The Seminoles used Shoestring Fern brewed into a tea to combat mental maladies.
