Sabal mexicana

Sabal mexicana

The Rio Grande palmetto or Mexican palmetto, Texas palmetto, Texas sabal palm, palmetto cabbage, palma de mícharos (Sabal mexicana Mart., 1838) is an arboreal species belonging to the Arecaceae family.

Systematic –
Eukaryota domain,
Kingdom Plantae,
Division Magnoliophyta,
Class Liliopsida,
Subclass Arecidae,
Order Arecales,
Arecaceae family,
Subfamily Coryphoideae,
Sabaleae Tribe,
Genus Sabal,
S. mexicana species.
The terms are synonymous:
– Erythea loretensis M.E.Jones;
– Inodes exul O.F.Cook;
– Inodes mexicana (Mart.) Standl.;
– Inodes texana O.F.Cook;
– Sabal exul (O.F.Cook) L.H.Bailey;
– Sabal guatemalensis Becc.;
– Sabal texana (O.F.Cook) Becc..

Etymology –
The etymology of the term Sabal is unknown, as the author, the French botanist Michel Adanson (1727-1806) did not specify it in the publication.
The specific epithet mexicana comes from the Latin “mexicanus, a, um”, that is, from Mexico, in reference to the place of origin of the type species.

Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
The Sabal mexicana is a palm native to an area that includes: El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico (Guerrero, Oaxaca, San Luis Potosì, Tamaulipas, Veracruz and Yucatan), Nicaragua and the USA. (Southern Texas).
Its habitat is that of dry and humid forests, in alluvial plains, swamps and on the edges of watercourses, on clayey-limestone soils; it also grows in shallow, well-drained clay-limestone soils. Populations are often found on steep slopes with moderate to high stoniness, on slightly alkaline soils. It is distributed in altitudinal bands from 0 to 1400 m above sea level.

Description –
The Sabal mexicana is a helpless monoecious palm with a solitary, erect, columnar stem; the plant reaches a height of 12 to 18 m, with a width of 3 to 4 m.
The trunk reaches a height of 12 to 15 m in length and 30 cm in diameter; with remains of the petioles for most of its length.
The leaves are 1 to 2 m long, but much larger when the specimen is acaule (without stem or so small as to appear non-existent), petiole about 1 m long and 6 cm wide.
The flowers are very numerous on the rachilla, white, fragrant, 3 to 5 mm long; dome-shaped chalice.
The fruit is blackish brown when ripe, subglobose, flattened at the ends, 12 to 20 mm wide.
The seeds are oblate (wider than long), flat at the base and curved above, up to 1 cm wide, reddish-brown.

Cultivation –
Sabal mexicana is an evergreen palm that is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials.
For its cultivation, take into account that it grows in most fertile, humid but well-drained soils in a sunny and sheltered position.
Although it prefers a humid atmosphere, this species tolerates arid atmospheres as long as it has plenty of moisture available to its roots.
Plants from the north of its range (in Texas) have reasonably marginal frost tolerance and may be suitable for growing outdoors in milder areas of the country.
Palm trees usually have deeply penetrating root systems and generally establish best when planted at a young stage. However, older plants are substantially more cold-tolerant than young plants.
In areas on the edge of cold tolerance, therefore, it is prudent to grow plants in containers for a few years, giving them winter protection, and planting them in their permanent positions only when size warrants.
This species can be transplanted even when it is very large. Although the thick, fleshy roots are easily damaged and/or dried out, new roots are usually produced freely. It is important to stake the plant very firmly and give it plenty of water until it has recovered; It is also useful in the first phase to remove many leaves to help it.
In general it is a species of slow growth, but early flowering, similar to the Sabal palmetto, from which it differs in the larger size of the fruits, as well as in the details of the inflorescence, cultivable in tropical, subtropical and temperate climate regions, where adult specimens can withstand temperature values, if exceptional and short-lived, up to -10 °C. Furthermore, it grows both in full sun and partial shade, adapts to a wide variety of soils, from sandy to heavy, from slightly acidic to alkaline, and can resist dry periods, but with even slower growth.
It is a very variable plant in the wild.
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 starting from 1-3 months.

Customs and Traditions –
The Sabal mexicana is a palm known by various common names; among these are: Mexican palmetto, Rio Grande palmetto, Texas palmetto, Victoria palmetto (English); palma de sombrero (El Salvador); guano, palm tree (Guatemala); apachite, guano, guano bon, llano palm, micheros palm, marrachada palm, royal palm, redonda palm, soyate, xa’an (Mexico); palma de techo (Nicaragua).
It is one of the most widespread and common palms in Mexico, where it is found in the driest plains. Some believe the species may have spread much farther north along the Texas Gulf Coast and as far inland as San Antonio. This is supported by observations recorded between the 17th and 19th centuries, the presence of a small, disjunct population 200 miles (320 km) north of the lower Rio Grande valley, and the ease with which cultivated trees naturalized in some parts of Central Texas. S. mexicana should not be confused with the related and somewhat shorter “Brazoria Palm”, a small population of which is found in southeastern Texas, and which is a natural hybrid of S. palmetto and S. minor .
Naturally occurring S. mexicana in Texas can be difficult to distinguish, because this palm is widely planted as an ornamental and because wild specimens become easily established. However, at least two populations in Texas have been reported to be purely natural. The most prominent is located in the 557-acre Sabal Palm Sanctuary located outside Brownsville, Texas, along the banks of the Rio Grande. The second is located on a much smaller tract located along the banks of Garcitas Creek, near Vanderbilt, Texas.
This palm is grown as an ornamental for its sturdy, stately shape, drought tolerance, and hardiness to USDA zone 8.
The wood is resistant to decay and ship moths, making it viable for use in dock posts and fence posts.
The leaves are used to make straw and straw hats. The drupes and hearts of palm are eaten.
In particular, the old leaves are still used, due to their long life and low cost, for covering rural homes and for shading nurseries, chicken coops, etc., while with the young leaves and the fibers obtained from the petioles various artisanal objects of common use, first and foremost the typical headgear (“sombreros”), and artistic and folkloric ones intended for the tourist market.
The Sabal mexicana is a palm, in general, appreciated for making various types of crafts and for covering houses.
The fruits are edible and used as livestock feed.
The tips of the stem are edible and constitute the “palmito”. The logs are used to make fences and rustic buildings.
From an ecological point of view it is a species with a wide distribution range, it is not found in any category of the NOM-059- ECOL- SEMARNAT- 2010 in Mexico, nor is it found in any protection category according to the IUCN. However, NOM-006-1997 regulates the use, transportation and storage of leaves, not only of this species but of all palm trees in Mexico.

Preparation Method –
Sabal mexicana is a plant used in nature or cultivated for many uses.
The fruits are eaten raw or cooked; they have a sweet and pleasant flavor and are a nutritious food.
The young leaves are eaten raw or cooked and are an excellent food.
The sap is sweet.
Among other uses, the leaves are used to make baskets, chair seats or straw.
Excellent fiber is obtained from the petioles of the leaves. The best quality is obtained from young leaf stems still in the bud, while the coarsest material is obtained from older leaves or the bases of old leaf stems surrounding the bud.
The fibers are up to 50cm long and are harvested commercially and used to make brushes, especially where they need to remain stiff in hot water or caustics.
Furthermore, the roots contain tannin.

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/274521621/original.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.