Serenoa repens, commonly known as saw palmetto, is a small Arecaceae, growing to a maximum height around .
Taxonomy
It is the
monotypic taxon species in the genus
Serenoa. The genus name honors American
Botany Sereno Watson.
Distribution and habitat
It is
Endemism to the subtropical and tropical Southeastern United States as well as Mexico,
most commonly along the south
Atlantic Plain and Gulf Coastal plains and sand hills. It grows in clumps or dense thickets in sandy coastal areas, and as undergrowth in
pine woods or
hardwood hammocks.
Description
Erect stems or trunks are rarely produced, but are found in some populations. It is a hardy plant; extremely slow-growing, and long-lived, with some plants (especially in Florida) possibly being as old as 500–700 years.
Saw palmetto is a fan palm, with the leaf that have a bare petiole terminating in a rounded fan of about 20 leaflets. The petiole is armed with fine, sharp teeth or spines that give the species its common name. The teeth or spines are easily capable of breaking the skin, and protection should be worn when working around a saw palmetto. The leaves are light green inland, and silvery-white in coastal regions. The leaves are 1–2 m in length, the leaflets 50–100 cm long. They are similar to the leaves of the palmettos of genus Sabal. The are yellowish-white, about 5 mm across, produced in dense compound up to 60 cm long.
File:SerenoraRepensHabitatPuntaGorda.jpg|Among live oak and sabal palmetto in habitat, Punta Gorda, Florida
File:Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) in Manatee Springs State Park.jpg|In Manatee Springs State Park, Florida
File:WindySerenoaRepensTrunks.jpg|Winding trunks of an old clump, Manasota Key, Florida
File:Serenoa repens.jpg|Detail of flowers
File:SilverSawPalmettoClump.jpg|A very old example of the silver variant, Largo, Florida
Ecology
The
fruit is a large reddish-black
drupe and is an important food source for wildlife and historically for humans. The plant is used as a food plant by the
of some
Lepidoptera species such as
Batrachedra decoctor, which feeds on the plant, including the interior of the inflorescence.
Medical research
Saw palmetto
extract has been studied as a possible treatment for people with
prostate cancer and for men with lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
One 2016 review of clinical studies with a standardized extract of saw palmetto (called Permixon) found that the extract was safe and may be effective for relieving BPH-induced urinary symptoms compared against a placebo.
Ethnobotany
Indigenous names are reported to include: tala or talimushi ("palmetto's uncle") in Choctaw language; cani (Timucua language); ta ́:la (Koasati language); taalachoba ("big palm", Alabama language); ta:laɬ a ́ kko ("big palm", Creek language); talco ́:bˆı ("big palm", Mikasuki); and guana (Taíno, possibly).
External links
