Unknown disease killing off Florida's state tree
Unknown disease killing off Florida's state tree
The Sabal palmetto, also known as the cabbage palm, Sabal palm and cabbage palmetto, was designated the state tree of Florida in 1953. It appears within the great seal on the state flag of Florida. It grows naturally in almost any soil near the coasts, on tidal flats, islands, or elevated places in marshes, beach swales, and in moist to wet hardwood hammocks.
But an unknown but growing number of sabal palms have died from a mysterious disease that researchers are struggling to identify. Even after scientists pinpoint the disease — and that could take years — they will have to learn what insect spreads it.
Sabal palms, also known cabbage palms, can grow to 50 feet. The trunks are sometimes used for wharf pilings, docks and poles. Brushes and brooms can be made from young leaves, and the large fan-shaped leaves have been used by the Seminole Indians in Florida as thatch for traditional pavilions. It is even used in cooking. The large leaf buds of immature cabbage palms are used to make swamp cabbage and hearts of palm salad. Removal of the bud, however, will kill the tree.
Tim Schubert, an administrator and pathologist in Florida's Division of Plant Industry, said it's impossible to say what the disease's eventual effect on the state's sabal palms will be, but "it's not going to be good."
The new disease destroys the sabal palm and its other victims, which include Canary Island date palms and queen palms, from within. It is often confused with nutrient deficiencies or excessive trimming. First to go are the lower leaves in the tree's canopy, followed by a dead spear leaf. Finally, the palm's canopy collapses.
