Sabal bermudana
Sabal bermudana
The Bermuda palm or Bermuda palmetto, bibby-tree (Sabal bermudana L.H.Bailey, 1934) is an arboreal species belonging to the Arecaceae family.
Systematic –
From a systematic point of view it belongs to:
Eukaryota domain,
Kingdom Plantae,
Division Magnoliophyta,
Class Liliopsida,
Subclass Arecidae,
Order Arecales,
Arecaceae family,
Subfamily Coryphoideae,
Sabaleae Tribe,
Genus Sabal,
Species S. bermudana.
The terms are synonymous:
– Inodes blackburnia (Glazebr.) O.F.Cook;
– Inodes princeps (Becc.) Cif. & Giacom.;
– Sabal beccariana L.H.Bailey;
– Sabal blackburnia Glazebr.;
– Sabal princeps Becc.;
– Sabal princeps Verschaff.;
– Sabal umbraculifera Mart..
Etymology –
The term Sabal is of unknown origin as its author, the French botanist Michel Adanson (1727-1806), did not provide any specification.
The specific Bermudian epithet is in reference to its origins on the island of Bermuda or its archipelago.
Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
Sabal bermudana is a palm endemic to Bermuda although it has reportedly been naturalized in the Leeward Islands. Its habitat has been strongly influenced by the introduction of non-native plants, which has created competition for space; in this habitat it lives in open areas, both humid, marshy and semi-arid.
Description –
Sabal bermudana is an evergreen, monoecious, single-stemmed palm, which can grow up to 25 m, and occasionally in old trees up to 30 m tall.
The trunk develops up to 55 cm in diameter and is covered in the younger part by the residues of the leaf bases which form a typical crossed, wrinkled weave with the close annular traces of the leaves that have fallen in the older part.
It is a palm topped with a crown of 15 – 25 fan leaves.
The leaves are very costapalmate, filamentous, divided into 80-90 rigid segments, 1-1.4 m long, united at the base for about half their length, in turn bifid at the apex, of an intense green color sometimes with shades bluish.
These are carried by a petiole 1-1.8 m long and a triangular hastula (appendage located at the point of insertion of the leaf blade with the petiole) with a sharp apex 10-18 cm long.
The inflorescences are arched and form between the leaves, shorter than the petiole, with 3 orders of ramifications; these are made up of tiny fragrant white flowers with a three-lobed tubular calyx, a three-lobed tubular corolla, 6 stamens, a three-lobed ovary and stigma.
The fruits are pyriform drupes, 1.4-1.8 cm in diameter, blackish brown in color when ripe, containing a single globular, flattened or concave seed, 0.8-1.3 cm in diameter.
Each fruit containing a single seed.
Cultivation –
Sabal bermudana is an evergreen palm that is extremely tolerant of salt, often growing near the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in Bermuda, and also of frost, surviving short periods of temperatures as low as -14°C (although such temperatures have never occurred verified in Bermuda), although as adults it can resist temperatures down to around -9 °C.
It is one of the most ornamental palms of the genus, due to its large, strongly arched leaves, but extremely slow growth, it has proven adaptable to a wide variety of climates, from tropical to temperate, and soils, from slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, from sandy and draining to clayey and compact.
For cultivation it preferably requires full sun, but also adapts to partial shade, resists saltiness and short dry periods, even if it benefits, in the first years of planting, from regular watering in climates characterized by long hot and dry summers .
Reproduction occurs by seed, previously kept in water for 3 days, in draining soil kept humid at a temperature of 24-28 °C, with germination times of 1-3 months.
Customs and Traditions –
The Sabal bermudana is one of the 15 species of palms of the Sabal genus, known by various names such as: Bermuda palm, Bermuda palmetto, bibby-tree (English).
The tree is often planted in Puerto Rico, where the leaves are harvested and used in weaving and thatching. The plant is often grown as an ornamental.
Bermudians briefly used palm leaves to weave them into hats and export them to the United Kingdom and other countries. Also during the 17th century, most homes in Bermuda had thatched roofs made from this palm.
The extracted sap is used to produce “bibby”, a strong alcoholic drink.
The fruits are edible.
The fibers of the leaves are also used to make baskets, mats and hammocks.
The older leaves are used for thatching roofs.
Unfortunately, due to the progressive reduction of its habitat, excessive fragmentation and the limited number of individuals, the species has been included in the red list of the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) as “Endangered” (at high risk of extinction in the wild ).
Preparation Method –
In the past, the leaves of the Sabal bermudana were used as a covering for homes and to make mats, ropes, hats and other commonly used craft objects; an alcoholic drink, “bibby”, was obtained by fermenting the sugary sap collected by making a cut under the vegetative apex. The fruits, with sweet pulp, are edible and represent an important source of food for local fauna.
Guido Bissanti
Sources
– Acta Plantarum – Flora of the Italian Regions.
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
– Useful Tropical Plants Database.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (ed.), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora d’Italia, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Treben M., 2000. Health from the Lord’s Pharmacy, Advice and experiences with medicinal herbs, Ennsthaler Editore.
Photo source:
– https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/61905015/original.jpeg
– https://sweetgum.nybg.org/images3/932/468/1662492.jpg
Attention: Pharmaceutical applications and food uses are indicated for informational purposes only, they do not represent in any way a medical prescription; we therefore decline any responsibility for their use for healing, aesthetic or food purposes.