The Bartrams

Notes from Michael Bond, botanist

Serenoa repens (Bartr.)Small
Palmae (Palm familly)

Saw Palmetto - Endemic to southeastern United States, very common in Florida, Georgia, also (but not so much so) the Carolinas, Alabama, and Virginia. Found in sandy soils of pinewoods and sand dunes. Stems are usually subterranean, but sometimes are upright forming dense colonies. Leaves are palmate, numerous, and spiny to the touch. Leaflets are stiff, green or sometimes bluish to dull grey. Fruit about 3 cm long and 2 cm in diameter, dark blue to black in color.
The berries have a long have a long folk history as an aphrodisiac and have been used for centuries in treating conditions of the prostate. Native American Indians used the saw palmetto berries as a subsistence food in the fall. Base of new leaf stalks were also cooked or eaten raw. The Seminoles also used the plant fibers for baskets, brooms, fans, and ropes. Further uses included fish drags, fire/dance fans, and dolls. This historical use led to modern day development of a purified extract from the berries that greatly improves symptoms of enlarged prostate. Florida is the biggest source and producer of saw palmetto products. With about 2,000 tons harvested from South Florida and exported to Europe each year, this berry crop brings an estimated $50 million a year to the state.