Field journal ๐ ID: Serenoa repens Common name: saw palmetto ๐ด Not to be confused with sabal palmetto, whose leaves are folded in the middle instead of flattened out, the saw palmetto is an important part of Floridaโs ecology. ๐ด 1๏ธโฃ Saw palmetto is one of the plants that is โmost highly used by Florida wildlife,โ providing for more than 300 insects, butterflies, bees, flies, and beetles. 2๏ธโฃ Saw palmetto is an important player in the fire ecology that Floridaโs habitats have adapted to. If left too long without a burn, these plants can become a severe fire hazard. However, when fire is included in the land management, saw palmettos thrive and are some of the first plants that pop up from the ground just days after a fire. 3๏ธโฃ Saw palmetto can live to be more than 2,000 years old. 4๏ธโฃ Saw palmetto is a very hardy plantโit can grow in almost any lighting condition and is drought-tolerant and salt-tolerant, meaning it can be found in almost any habitat in Florida (as long as itโs not too submerged in moist soil). 5๏ธโฃ The ethnobotanical uses of saw palmetto are numerous, with the leaves being used for thatched roofs, mats, and baskets. ๐ด *Some argue that palm trees are not technically โtreesโ and are instead grasses because their trunk is fibrous rather than woody. ๐ฑ ๐ ๐ด #explorida #roamflorida #florida #flstofmind #floridaliving #florida_greatshots #fun_in_florida #LoveFL #monroecounty #sawpalmetto #serenoarepens #palmtree #floridakeys #nature #naturelovers #getoutdoorsfl #southflorida #curryhammockstatepark @visitflorida @thefloridakeys @lovefl (at Curry Hammock State Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpyfHmCOtD4/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
