Serenoa repens

Serenoa repens
Photo taken by Gil Nelson
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta - Flowering plants
Class:	Liliopsida – Monocotyledons
Order:	Arecales
Family:	Arecaceae ⁄ Palmae
Genus:	Serenoa
Species:	S. repens
Binomial name
Serenoa repens (W. Bartram) Small
Natural range of Serenoa repens from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Common name: saw palmetto

Taxonomic notes

The genus Serenoa honors Sereno Watson who was an assistant of Asa Gray. Repens refers to the plant's creeping habit.

Description

A description of Serenoa repens is provided in The Flora of North America.

S. repens has been observed to have no true stem, with petiole spinescent below surface (FSU Herbarium).

Ecology

Habitat

In the Coastal Plain in Florida and Georgia, Serenoa repens has occurred around sinkholes in oolite, on dunes in an understory of Pinus clausa, sandpine-evergreen oak scrubs, cabbage palm-hardwood hammocks, pine flatwoods, open slashpine woodlands, coastal hammocks, Baccharis flats, longleaf pine-scrub oak ridges, dried up ponds, and pine-oak woodlands. It has been found in disturbed areas such as open pastures, roadsides, and a newly planted slash pine plantation with deep sterile sandy soil (FSU Herbarium). Soil types include sand and loamy sand (FSU Herbarium). Associated species include Persea, Rapanea, Myrica, Ficus, and Ardisia (FSU Herbarium).

Phenology

It has been observed flowering March through June and fruiting April through December (FSU Herbarium).

Fire ecology

S. repens has been observed growing in burned turkey-oak pinewoods and recently burned longleaf pine-turkey oak sandhill (FSU Herbarium).

Pollination

The following Hymenoptera families and species were observed visiting flowers of Serenoa repens at Archbold Biological Station (Deyrup 2015):

Apidae: Apis mellifera, Bombus impatiens, Epeolus glabratus, E. pusillus, E. zonatus,

Colletidae: Colletes banksi, C. brimleyi, C. mandibularis, C. nudus, C. sp. A, Hylaeus graenicheri

Halictidae: Agapostemon splendens, Augochlora pura, Augochlorella aurata, Augochloropsis metallica, Halictus poeyi, Lasioglossum miniatulus, L. nymphalis, L. placidensis, L. puteulanum, Sphecodes heraclei

Leucospididae: Leucospis affinis, L. birkmani, L. robertsoni, L. slossonae

Megachilidae: Megachile xylocopoides

Pompilidae: Episyron conterminus posterus, Tachypompilus f. ferrugineus

Sphecidae: Bicyrtes quadrifasciata, Cerceris blakei, C. flavofasciata floridensis, C. fumipennis, C. rozeni, C. rufopicta, Crabro hilaris rufibasis, Ectemnius decemmaculatus tequesta, E. maculosus, E. rufipes ais, Isodontia exornata, I. mexicana, Larra bicolor, Liris beata, L. muesebecki, Oxybelus decorosum, O. laetus fulvipes, Pseudoplisus phaleratus, Sceliphron caementarium, Stictiella serrata, Tachysphex apicalis, T. similis, Tachytes distinctus, T. guatemalensis, T. mergus, Tanyoprymnus moneduloides, Xysma ceanothae

Vespidae: Eumenes smithii, Euodynerus apopkensis, Mischocyttarus cubensis, Monobia quadridens, Pachodynerus erynnis, Parancistrocerus bicornis, P. salcularis rufulus, Polistes bellicosus, P. metricus, Stenodynerus beameri, S. lineatifrons, Vespula squamosa, Zethus slossonae, Z. spinipes

References and notes

Deyrup, M.A. and N.D. 2015. Database of observations of Hymenoptera visitations to flowers of plants on Archbold Biological Station, Florida, USA.

Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: November 2015. Collectors: Loran C. Anderson, L. Baltzell, Walter M. Buswell, Angus Gholson, J.P. Gillespie, Robert K. Godfrey, Bruce Hansen, JoAnn Hansen, R.D. Houk, Lisa Keppner, Robert Kral, O. Lakela, S.W. Leonard, Sidney McDaniel, Richard S. Mitchell, Chas. A. Mosier, Gwynn W. Ramsey, John K. Small, Alfred Traverse, H.R. Totten, David E. Wilson. States and Counties: Florida: Calhoun, Clay, Dade, Escambia, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Hernando, Jackson, Lake, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Monroe, Orange, Palm Beach, Taylor, Washington. Georgia: Thomas. Compiled by Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy.