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| With its straight, single trunk and globose crown, Cabbage Palmetto is one of the most easily recognized trees of the Southeast. A true palm, it is adaptable to a number of habitats in cultivation, and is grown as park or street trees in the South. This plant has leaf stalks which embrace the trunk at an early age and remain as dried remnants once the leaf blades have fallen away. In sheltered sites the leaf bases tend to remain on the trunk for many years; in cultivation they are frequently cut away, giving the trunk a smooth surface. Cabbage palmetto is the state tree of both South Carolina and Florida. Cannonballs from British warships attacking Charleston during the American Revolution bounced harmlessly away from Ft. Moultrie, which was constructed mainly from the spongy logs of this tree. |