Sabal Palm – Monocot

Feb 16, 2025

Key West Florida

Tree #3/50
Next stop, Cuba!  The tree I found at the southernmost point in the continental United States was a Palm Tree.  The sabal palm (Sabal palmetto) is the most widely distributed palm in Florida.  I found them growing all over Key West.  Palm trees are actually quite similar to grass.  Rather than wood, they grow with tightly packed fibers that form the trunk.  I learned this the hard way when I climbed a few feet up the trunk.   My hands were filled with fibrous splinters which I then carried all the way home to Pennsylvania. 

Many locals in Key West told me they struggle with dealing with damage from seeds (coconuts) which often fall and hit cars and people.  Various species of Palm trees are found all over the world and remind me of an interesting piece of WW2 heritage.  The first American casualty on Guadalcanal was a Marine who cut his hand with a machete, trying to open a coconut.