Palmetto Palm. The state tree of both South Carolina and Florida, this is probably the most planted palm in the Deep South. It is amazingly cold hardy, and I have seen plantings as far north as Raleigh, NC. It is probably South Carolina's state tree because of our history in the Revolutionary War for independence where more battles were fought than in any other state. We Americans know what happened on July 4, 1776, but on the night of June 28, 1776, eight days prior, there was a battle for Sullivan's Island on the north side of Charleston's harbor. As the British were bombarding the fort, the brick walls were crumbling, so the patriots would cut down palmetto trees and roll the logs over the ramparts, and as a result, the spongy palmetto trunks would absorb the brunt of the cannon balls, saving the fort for the present. Even though Charleston eventually fell into British hands, this was a crucial American Revolutionary War victory where Patriot forces under Colonel William Moultrie repelled a major British land and naval assault on Charleston, South Carolina. In most coastal areas, this species is quite predominant in the native landscape as well as man-made designs. once established it is one of the more tough subject in the landscape. It is dioecious, with impressive inflorescences billowing from the foliage at the terminus of the trunk. Remember that the trunk of the Palmetto is dead conductive tissue. The only living portions of the plant are the roots and the bud and foliage at the top. I have seen it growing in rather dense shade as well as hot blazing sun. The plants that we offer are probably 8-10 year old seedlings, but once planted out, their growth is amazingly fast. The last pic is courtesy of Mike Chelednik in Raleigh.
Zones 7b-10
