Three fan palms, common along the South Carolina coast, grow throughout the state wherever soil and moisture conditions are favorable.
- Cabbage palmetto (Sabal palmetto), usually called just “palmetto,” is a tree with a long, slender trunk 30 to 90 feet tall.
- Dwarf palmetto (Sabal minor), a related, small palm 3 to 6 feet tall, is found primarily as an understory plant in areas that occasionally flood.
- Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) looks similar to dwarf palmetto but is found in drier soils.
Native fan palm seedlings frequently appear in home landscapes in coastal South Carolina under deciduous trees where seed-eating birds perch and excrete seeds. Seedlings of all three palms are identical. They emerge in the spring and summer as a single, narrow, green leaf, the easiest stage to remove unwanted seedlings.
Key Characteristics for Identifying Cabbage, Dwarf, and Saw Palmettos
Leaves and flowers of cabbage and dwarf palmettos resemble each other because they are in the same genus (Sabal) and are closely related. The trunk on cabbage palmetto takes several years, possibly as long as 10 years, to develop.
The following characteristics of older plants can be used to identify fan palms to help homeowners decide if the palm will fit in the space where it is growing, or if it should be removed.
Leaf Characteristics of Older Fan Palms
| Palm | Fibers on leaf edges | Leaf stalk top end | Leaf stalk edge | Leaf segments | Leaf texture | Leaf split in middle |
| Cabbage | Yes | Spear-like point | Smooth | Fused for lower ¼ to 1/3 length | Leaf ends flexible, drooping | No |
| Dwarf | No | Spear-like point | smooth | Fused for lower ¼ to 1/3 length | Leaves mostly stiff in sun, tips flexible in shade | Yes |
| Saw | No | Blunt, straight | Saw-like teeth | Separate except at base | Leaves stiff | No |
How to Differentiate Between Cabbage, Dwarf, and Saw Palmetto Flowers
Dwarf palmetto flowers at a younger age than cabbage palmetto, which is the easiest way to tell them apart. Flower stalks appear in late spring to early summer.
Palm Flower Characteristics
| Palm | Flower stalk emerges | Length and shape of flower stalk | Branching of flower stalk | Fruit size |
| Cabbage | Top of plant | 5-8 ft, curved | Multiple levels of branching | 0.25 to 0.5 in. |
| Dwarf | Base of plant | 3-4 ft, straight or curved at tip | Only 2 levels of branching | 0.25 to 0.5 in. |
| Saw | Base of plant | 3-4 ft, curved | Multiple levels of branching | 0.5 to 1 in. |
Learn More About Palms & Cycads
For more information on native and ornamental palms, see HGIC 1019, Palms & Cycads.
Several dwarf palmettos (foreground) and one cabbage palmetto (back right) growing under a river birch in a home landscape. Anthony Keinath, ©2025 Clemson Extension
