What is Saw Palmetto?

Saw palmetto is known as Serenoa repens, also known as blue palm and saba palm. It is a precious medicinal plant in the palm family commonly found in the southeastern United States. Tropical and subtropical coastal sandy plains of the state and Gulf of Mexico. ^[1]

Saw palmetto is an evergreen shrub with a height of 3 to 5 m, palm-shaped leaves, deeply split, and a width of 40-90 cm.

Saw palmetto is found all over Florida in the United States. It is the main understory tree species of swamp pine and long-leaf pine. It has strong stress resistance, fire resistance, long-term resistance to drought, waterlogging, and barren soil. However, the most suitable growth conditions are a temperate or humid subtropical climate, which requires sufficient sunlight. The average annual rainfall is about 1000 to 1630 mm, and the temperature is -4 ° C to 36 ° C. Typical soil types are high in quartz and good drainage.

Saw palmetto grows slowly, growing about 0.1cm per year in southern Georgia, USA, and about 0.25cm in central Florida. Based on this growth rate, the life of saw palmetto can be as long as 500 to 700 years. Its root system is mostly distributed in the soil layer about 30cm deep, and some can extend below the sandy soil lm. It blooms locally in spring and bears fruit in summer. Some varieties can flower throughout the year, but rarely bear fruit in other seasons, except for summer fruit. Yields vary greatly during the year, from 100 to 500 fruits per plant in mid-late June, and then began to decline, with almost no fruit in mid-October. Geographically, yields vary widely. ^[2]