A Palm Tree

I've been watching what I believed was a dwarf palmetto (Sabal minor) that came in as a volunteer near the corner of our house. It seemed to be getting larger and larger, and for a while I wondered whether it might be a real palm tree--a cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto). Then I thought it was probably just a large specimen of the dwarf species, and dismissed the idea that it might be a cabbage palm--until a few days ago. We're planning some major re-landscaping in the front yard, and the landscaper suggested that he plant native needle palms (Rhapidophyllum hystrix) in this area. "Why not leave the dwarf palmetto where it is, and surround it with needle palms?" I said."That's no dwarf palmetto," he said, "it's a cabbage palm."

"Then we should probably transplant it," I said. "No," he replied (and here's a factoid!). "Palms don't transplant when they're small. That's why you see large trees planted, often propped up with boards; they need to have enough stored energy in their trunks to replace the roots damaged in transplanting."