Sabal texana (Sabal mexicana)
Common: Rio Grande palmetto, Texas palmetto, Oaxaca palmetto
Family: Arecaceae (Palmae)
Origin: Native from North Carolina to South America
Light: Full sun
Water: Moderate water
Used to give tropical effect to small areas. Accent plant.
Large, slow growing fan palm, 30-50 feet high with trunk diameter of 12 to 32 inches. Takes 25-40 years to reach maturity.
Leaf stems hang on trunk in early life, then fall to show attractive, slender trunk. Leaves are evergreen with fan-like fronds, 4 to 7 feet long.
Large clusters of inconspicuous flowers appear among the leaves when plants are mature.
The fruit is edible, and can be found in markets in parts of Texas. One of only two palms native to Texas.
Leaves are used for furniture and building material, and the trunks used for wharf pilings.
Originally ranged along the Rio Grande up to about 80 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. Today, they are scattered along the Rio Grande just south of Brownsville and in one isolated pocket on Garcitas Creek.