Sabal miamiensis seeds! Rare and Extinct in the Wild!

Description: Sabal miamiensis is a little-known palm described in 1985 from palms growing in Dade County, Florida. It is now thought to be extinct in the wild, as development has pretty much destroyed its former habitat. Thankfully, a few collectors recognized the horticultural significance of this palm, and some palms made it into their gardens. My palm came from seed from a very knowledgeable and reputable collector here in Florida. A fellow palm collector in Coral Gables has a sister palm of mine, almost exactly the same age and size, and from the same seed batch. She occasionally sells seeds here on eBay, but her palm had no seeds last year. But mine had plenty, so I’m offering them for the first time. As you can see from my pictures, my palm does have a small trunk. It was planted as a seedling in 2008 where it is, with a Sabal palmetto of the same age right behind it (the larger palm in the pictures). In the wild, it’s said to not form a trunk. In cultivation, given great growing conditions and plenty of water, it does form a trunk over time. It’s said to be closely related to Sabal etonia. It differs in several aspects. S. miamiensis leaves are more costapalmate, sometimes folding over so much that the leaflets cross like praying hands. S. miamiensis has 3 orders of branching on its inflorescence, whereas S. etonia has 2 (normally). The seeds of S. miamiensis are quite large for a Sabal. This wonderful little palm deserves to be more widely spread in cultivation! It’s a very cold-hardy palm, probably hardy to zone 8a. There’s a nice specimen growing in Savannah, GA, zone 8b, and others are growing it in zone 8a. Due to its small size, it can be fairly easily protected, and so grown into zone 7 with some winter protection. It loves full sun and water! Mine gets lots of both, and is quite robust. Mine is also planted in mostly sand, so it isn’t too picky about soil. The last two pictures are from an old specimen in St. Petersburg, FL. Germination of Sabal seeds is best when you apply some bottom heat, although some find success just planting them in pots and leaving them outside in the summer. Germination can be sporadic, and can take as little as less then two weeks, or possibly several months. If what you’re doing isn’t working, don’t give up on them. Try something different! Good luck, and thanks for looking! Returns are not accepted, unless the seeds are damaged in shipment. These seeds are very fresh (2022 harvest).

Price: 5.99 USD

Location: Gainesville, Florida

End Time: 2024-08-22T23:14:24.000Z

Shipping Cost: 3.99 USD