Serenoa
Saw palmetto | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Clade: | Commelinids |
Order: | Arecales |
Family: | Arecaceae |
Subfamily: | Coryphoideae |
Tribe: | Trachycarpeae |
Genus: | Serenoa Hook.f. |
Species: | S. repens
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Binomial name | |
Serenoa repens | |
Natural range | |
Synonyms[3] | |
Synonymy
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Serenoa repens, commonly known as saw palmetto, is a small palm, growing to a maximum height around 200–300 cm (6.6–9.8 ft).
Taxonomy
It is the sole species in the genus Serenoa. The genus name honors American botanist Sereno Watson.
Distribution and habitat
It is endemic to the subtropical and tropical Southeastern United States,[4] most commonly along the south Atlantic and Gulf Coastal plains and sand hills. It grows in clumps or dense thickets in sandy coastal areas, and as undergrowth in pine woods or hardwood hammocks.[5]
Description
Erect stems or trunks are rarely produced, but are found in some populations. It is a hardy plant; extremely slow-growing, and long-lived, with some plants (especially in Florida) possibly being as old as 500–700 years.[6]
Saw palmetto is a fan palm, with the leaves that have a bare petiole terminating in a rounded fan of about 20 leaflets. The petiole is armed with fine, sharp teeth or spines that give the species its common name. The teeth or spines are easily capable of breaking the skin, and protection should be worn when working around a saw palmetto. The leaves are light green inland, and silvery-white in coastal regions. The leaves are 1–2 m in length, the leaflets 50–100 cm long. They are similar to the leaves of the palmettos of genus Sabal. The flowers are yellowish-white, about 5 mm across, produced in dense compound panicles up to 60 cm long.
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Among live oak and sabal palmetto in habitat, Punta Gorda, Florida
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In Manatee Springs State Park, Florida
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Winding trunks of an old clump, Manasota Key, Florida
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Detail of flowers
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A very old example of the silver variant, Largo, Florida
Ecology
The fruit is a large reddish-black drupe and is an important food source for wildlife and historically for humans. The plant is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species such as Batrachedra decoctor, which feeds exclusively on the plant.
Medical research
Saw palmetto extract has been studied as a possible treatment for people with prostate cancer and for men with lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).[5][7][8] As of 2023, there is insufficient scientific evidence that saw palmetto extract is effective for treating cancer or BPH and its symptoms.[7][8][9]
One 2016 review of clinical studies with a standardized extract of saw palmetto (called Permixon) found that the extract was safe and may be effective for relieving BPH-induced urinary symptoms compared against a placebo.[10]
Ethnobotany
Indigenous names are reported to include: tala or talimushi ("palmetto's uncle") in
References
- ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0".
- ^ "Serenoa repens". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
- ^ "Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online.
- ^ "Serenoa repens". Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
- ^ a b "Serenoa in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
- ^ Tanner, George W.; J. Jeffrey Mullahey; David Maehr (July 1996). "Saw-palmetto: An Ecologically and Economically Important Native Palm" (PDF). Electronic Data Information Source of UF/IFAS Extension. Circular WEC-109. University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 July 2008.
- ^ a b "Saw palmetto". Drugs.com. 4 December 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
- ^ a b "Spotlight on saw palmetto: What the science says". NCCIH Clinical Digest for Health Professionals, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, US National Institutes of Health. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
- PMID 37345871.
- S2CID 19219564.
- ISBN 978-0-8493-2332-4.
- hdl:2246/92.
- OCLC 1099766.
- ^ Sturtevant, WC (1955). The Mikasuki Seminole: Medical Beliefs and Practices. Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms.
External links
- Serenoa repens
- Serenoa repens from Floridata
- Interactive Distribution Map for Serenoa repens Archived 6 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine