Trunk to 10 m tall and 60 cm wide, stout, grey. Leaves green or waxy blue, in a flattish or compressed crown, about 1.5 m across, divided about halfway. Leaflets 60-120 with threads along the margins. Panicles about as long as the leaves. Fruit round or sometimes flattish or pear-shaped, about 1 cm wide, black.
Puerto Rico, Haiti, Hispaniola
Occurs naturally in coastal and lowland districts.
Uncommon in cultivation.
Distinctive fan palm with a stout trunk and a flattish or compressed crown of leaves with leaflets having threads on their margins.
Sydney (Royal Botanic Garden Sydney).
S. domingensis Becc., Dominican Palmetto Palm from Hispaniola has a trunk to 10 m tall and 60 cm wide, grey. Leaves green, in a large rounded crown, about 1 m across, divided for about two-thirds their length into stiff leaflets. Panicles about as long as the leaves. Fruit pear-shaped, about 1.5 cm wide, black. Uncommon in cultivation. Possibly the same species as S. causiarum. Recognised as a robust fan palm with a large trunk; deeply divided green leaves with stiff leaflets and black, pear-shaped fruit. Specimens at Sydney (Royal Botanic Garden Sydney).
S. palmetto (Watt.) Schultes, Palmetto Palm from USA, Cuba, Bahamas has a trunk to 20 m or more tall and 35 cm wide, brown to grey, often covered with old leaf bases. Leaves to about 2 m long, green, in a rounded crown, blades about 1.2 m wide with a strong midrib, divided for about two-thirds their length into narrow deeply cleft leaflets with threads in their clefts, the tips drooping. Panicles about as long as the leaves. Fruit round to pear-shaped, about 1.2 cm wide, black. [S. parviflora Becc., S. viatoris L.H. Bailey]. Occurs naturally on stream banks and coastal habitats, often in extensive stands. Reputed to withstand salt spray and brackish water. May naturalise in suitable habitats. Commonly grown in tropical and temperate regions. Recognised as a tall fan palm with relatively slender trunk and a rounded crown of deeply divided fan-shaped leaves; panicles about as long as the leaves, bearing masses of small round to pear-shaped fruit. Specimens at Sydney (Royal Botanic Garden Sydney).
S. uresana Trelease, Sonoran Palmetto from Mexico has a trunk to 20 m tall and 40 cm wide, grey. Leaves strongly waxy blue, the blades strongly folded and curved, about 1 m across, divided for about two-thirds their length into stiff leaflets. Panicles arching, about as long as the leaves. Fruit round to pear-shaped, about 1.5 cm wide, brown to black. Natural populations are reportedly dwindling from exploitation for timber, thatch and fibre. Uncommon in cultivation. Specimens at Sydney (Royal Botanic Garden Sydney).
Source: (2005). Arecaceae. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 5. Flowering plants. Monocotyledons. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.