palmetto | Sabal palmetto | Order of the Palmetto | Miami Palmetto High School | Palmetto, Florida | Growing on ''Sabal palmetto |
The plant is a poor competitor with vigorous species such as saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) and introduced and invasive species such as Natal grass (Melinis repens), and Bahia grass (Paspalum notatum).
This plant occurs in slash pine woods on wet, sandy substrates among other plant species, including saw palmetto, fetterbush (Lyonia lucida), shiny blueberry (Vaccinium myrsinites), dwarf live oak (Quercus minima), and wiregrass (Aristida stricta).
The Tequesta gathered many plant foods, including saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) berries, cocoplums (Chrysobalanus icaco), sea grapes (Coccoloba uvifera), prickly pear (nopal) fruits (Opuntia spp.), gopher apples (Licania micbauxii), pigeon plums (Cocoloba diversifolia), palm nuts, false mastic seeds, cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto), and hog plum (Ximenia americana).
In addition to saw palmetto, the shrubs Appalachian tea (Ilex glabra), coastal plain staggerbush (Lyonia fruticosa), dwarf live oak (Quercus minima), shiny blueberry (Vaccinium myrsinites), and rosy camphorweed (Pluchea rosea) can be found in the flatwoods.