Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) is an iconic plant of Florida, often dominating the understory of pine flatwoods habitats. Not only is saw palmetto endemic to Florida and the southeastern U.S., but it has also been referred to as a keystone species! A plant as a keystone species? YES!

Keystone Species - a species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend, such that if it were removed the ecosystem would change drastically.

For most of the year, saw palmetto fronds stand proud and upright showcasing their unique fan-shaped leaves with long, stiff, pointed leaflets and spikey leaf stems. They reflect the sun’s rays with their waxy coated, muted green and sometimes yellow leaves. From far away, saw palmetto may seem to serve little benefit to the environment other than taking up a lot of space. Upon closer inspection, saw palmetto create their own little world for numerous wildlife species big and small.

Learn More: 

• Parsing Through the Palmettos (blog by Lara): https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/pinellasco/2018/02/13/palmettos/

• Fire Effects Information System – Species: Serenoa repens https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/shrub/serrep/all.html

• The Diversity of Insects Visiting Flowers of Saw Palmetto (Arecaceae): https://www.jstor.org/stable/23268495

How You Can Help: 

• Protect saw palmetto where you can (your yard, speak up if plans to remove at local park/neighborhood)

• Report poachers by calling your local non-emergency number or the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Wildlife Alert Hotline

• Plant saw palmetto where you can. You can find a native plant nursery near you: https://www.fann.org/

• Support prescribed burning financially or through letters of support to your elected officials

Sources for this Episode: 

• The Diversity of Insects Visiting Flowers of Saw Palmetto (Arecaceae): https://www.jstor.org/stable/23268495

• Pollination Biology of Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) in Southwestern Florida: https://palms.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/vol47n2p95-103.pdf

• The Quarterly Journal of the Florida Native Plant Society: Palmetto. The Palmetto Issues, Volume 33: Number 3 > 2016: https://www.fnps.org/assets/pdf/palmetto_issues/Palmetto_33-3.pdf