Serenoa
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Serenoa repens, commonly known as saw palmetto, is a small palm, growing to a maximum height around Template:Convert.
Taxonomy
It is the sole species in the genus Serenoa. The genus name honors American botanist Sereno Watson.Template:Citation needed
Distribution and habitat
It is endemic to the subtropical and tropical Southeastern United States as well as Mexico,<ref name="GBIF">Template:GBIF</ref> 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.<ref name="fna">Template:Cite web</ref>
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.<ref name="Tanner1996">Template:Cite journal</ref>
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.Template:Citation needed
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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
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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 on the plant, including the interior of the inflorescence.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>Template:Rp
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).<ref name=fna/><ref name="drugs">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="nih">Template:Cite web</ref> As of 2023, there is no scientific evidence that saw palmetto extract is effective for treating cancer or BPH and its symptoms.<ref name=drugs/><ref name=nih/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
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.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Ethnobotany
Indigenous names are reported to include: Template:Lang or Template:Lang ("palmetto's uncle") in Choctaw; Template:Lang (Timucua); Template:Lang (Koasati); Template:Lang ("big palm", Alabama); Template:Lang ("big palm", Creek); Template:Lang ("big palm", Mikasuki); and Template:Lang (Taíno, possibly).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Saw palmetto fibers have been found among materials from indigenous people as far north as Wisconsin and New York, strongly suggesting this material was widely traded prior to European contact.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The leaves are used for thatching by several indigenous groups, so commonly that a location in Alachua County, Florida, is named Kanapaha ("palm house").<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The fruit may have been used to treat an unclear form of fish poisoning by the Seminoles and Lucayans.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
References
External links
Template:Commons category Template:Wikispecies
- Serenoa repens
- Serenoa repens from Floridata
- Interactive Distribution Map for Serenoa repens Template:Webarchive
Template:Arecaceae genera Template:Non-timber forest products Template:Taxonbar Template:Authority control