Sabal sp.

*Note: Sabals recover from transplant shock better when planted out after the soil has warmed up, i.e. late spring at the earliest.

Sabal palmetto
‘Cabbage Palmetto’
8a/7b with good siting and protection

The state tree of both South Carolina and Florida, the cabbage palmetto is a slow growing, but very hardy palm. Generally reliable to 10F or slightly below, provided the exposure to those temps is brief, but mature specimens have recovered from subzero temps. Notice I said “mature specimens” and “recovered” - I wouldn’t expect them to recover from that kind of weather every year.

Sabal domingensis
‘Hispaniola Palmetto’
8b/Possibly 8a with good siting and protection

Though native to the island of Hispaniola (Haiti/Dominican Republic), the Hispaniola palmetto is surprisingly hardy, to around 15F, provided the cold spell is brief. The leaves and trunk are larger than Sabal palmetto, leaves a bit bluer in color, and it reportedly grows faster as well.

Sabal etonia
‘Scrub Palmetto’
8a/Possibly 7b

This Florida native is a very attractive, clumping palm with a trunk that creeps along the ground in cultivation, though in the wild, it’s often not quite as attractive in its native sand dunes. Some reports suggest they may be hardy in 7b, to 5F, so it is worthy of further trial in colder areas. Its leaves tend to be greener than its cousin, Sabal minor.

Sabal maritima
"Bull Thatch Palm"
9a/possibly colder

This palm, native to Jamaica and Cuba, has been listed as hardy to 25F or 20F, depending on the source, but these small seedlings have taken brief lows in the greenhouse of 19F two years in a row, so I think with proper hardening off they might survive a little below 20F. Not sure about the ultimate low they will take though, so I'm leaving them listed as hardy to 20F/9a

Sabal minor ‘Broken Arrow Oklahoma’
6b, at least

As noted, this form of Sabal minor is grown from seeds taken from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, and should grow well in zone 6b (-5F) at least. They may be even a bit hardier than that, but I can't guarantee it! These small seedlings seem a bit more "silvery" than most Sabal minor, a feature which I am hoping they will maintain to adulthood. As a matter of fact, the coloring is the same as my 'Brazoria' seedlings, so I suspect these may actually be Brazoria palmettos instead of S. minors.

Sabal minor 'Cape Hatteras Giant'
7a, at least

This is the form of Sabal minor noted for its large leaves found growing in coastal areas of North Carolina - one specimen is reported to have been found that was ten feet tall, though it's my understanding that 6-8 feet is more common. My strap leaved specimen has been in the ground and has seen upper single digits with no damage, so I would expect they would survive to at least 7a/0F.

Sabal minor var. ‘Louisiana’
7b/Perhaps colder

Some believe this should be its own species, and it’s been rumored that it’s a hybrid between Sabal palmetto and Sabal minor, but there’s been no paternity test yet. This is another good trunk forming palm for 7b, but like the Brazoria palmettolisted below, it’ll be a long time before you see one. It will eventually form an above ground trunk around 15 feet in height, but like I said, it’ll be a while. In the meantime, it can be treated like other Sabal minor, as an accent plant, until it finally grows up.

Sabal minor ‘McCurtain’
6b - perhaps lower!

Seedlings taken from the wild population of Sabal minor found in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, have supposedly survived -24F in Kansas, though I wonder if they were covered by snow and protected by it at those temps. One thing is for sure, this form is VERY cold hardy. The native population has recently seen -11F, so seedlings of this form should be tried in zone 6, and I’d love to see how they do in zone 5, but I wouldn’t guarantee they’d survive. They do need to be planted in a warm spot in cooler areas, as these plants need summer heat.

Sabal minor ‘Warren County Arkansas’
‘Arkansas Dwarf Palmetto’
7a/possibly colder

Sabal minor is a species with lots of variability, with this form coming from a wild population in Southern Arkansas, zone 7b. I have read that small seedlings aren’t damaged even at 12F, so this form should display excellent cold hardiness, and is worthy of trial in cooler areas. This form is actually found farther north than the fabled ‘McCurtain County’ form, though it is still a slightly warmer area than McCurtain County. An excellent choice for experimenting with palms in zone 6.

Sabal pumos
'Royal Palmetto'
9a/20F, possibly colder?

Some sources say these are hardy to 8a/10F, but then again, some sources slap an 8a/10F hardiness rating on all Sabals, though some are not that hardy. This species native to central Mexico is reported to prefer higher altitudes, and isn't found at sea level like other members of the species. Seeds and fruit are supposedly the largest in the genus, and the fruit is reported to be edible with a date-like flavor. It has also been speculated that this is a very old species that retreated to central Mexico during the last ice age.

Sabal rosei
Llanos Palmetto
8b, possibly colder?

Native to Western Mexico, this species is being grown in a sheltered location in USDA zone 8a where it has reportedly taken 8F, and has also been trialed in Savannah, GA, where it has taken 15F. Considering its performance in zone 8a, it should be trialed more in cooler areas to test its limits.

Sabal sp. ‘Tamaulipas’
7b

Discovered growing in Mexico, this is a faster growing dwarf Sabal than Sabal minor - some say up to three times faster - with leaves that can grow to 6 feet wide is a welcome addition to the hardy palm garden. It blooms earlier than Sabal minor, forms a trunk that creeps along the ground, and has larger fruits, so many believe it to be a separate species from Sabal minor.

Sabal uresana
‘Sonoran Palmetto’
8a/7b with good siting and/or protection

Sabal uresana is the beauty queen of the Sabal family. With its striking, silvery leaves, it’s about as close as those of us in 8a/7b will get to growing a silver Bismarkia. Even the strap leaves display a silvery-blue color. Though native to the dry Southwest, it seems to do fine here in the Southeast as well. Though it is slow growing like other members of the family, it’s definitely worth the wait, and should be grown more.

Sabal x texensis ‘Brazoria’
‘Brazoria Palmetto’
7b

Believed to be a hybrid between Sabal minor and Sabal Mexicana, the Brazoria Palmetto comes from Brazoria County, Texas, and is an excellent, very cold hardy trunking palm for those of us who live north of typical palm country. The leaves are large, bluish green, and make a nice ornamental even before it forms a trunk - which may take up to 20 years, so don’t expect a trunk anytime soon. The new growth, however, is a brighter, whitish color which makes in more ornamental than other Sabals, especially after it’s flushed new growth.