Dwarf palmetto - Nature at the Bonnet Carré Spillway
Dwarf palmetto - Sabal minor
FAMILY: ARECACEAE
LEAVES: suborbicular (fan-shaped), 32 to 50 segments, 1 to 3 ft wide; segments may have filament threads on margins; petioles up to 3 feet
FLOWER: stalks up to 10 feet long; many small, white flowers; May to July
FRUIT: black fruit, 3/8 inch
BARK: rough, palm bark
FORM: stemless on dry sandy pinelands sites to a tree with a 6 to 8 ft trunk height on alluvial swampy-to-occasionally flooded sites.
HABITAT: dry to wet; palmetto indicates wet sites that are not subject to annual flooding; not a good indicator today because of levees
RANGE: coastal plains
USES: fibers for ropes, roofing, honey
NOTE: form with a trunk is sometimes named Sabal louisiana; www.rnr.lsu.edu/plantid/species/palmetto/palmetto.htm
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Dwarf Palmetto
This native palm heals, shelters, feeds, and beautifies
by Wendy Wilson Billiot
Historically, the Dwarf Palmetto played an important role in the lives of Louisiana natives and French colonists. The Choctaw, Chitimacha, and Houma Indian tribes used the palmetto fronds as roof thatching for their huts, with European settlers often following suit. Starting at the edge of the roof, the fronds were placed in rows, one atop the other, moving up toward the peak of the roof. In so doing, the fronds formed a durable roof that worked well to shed rainwater. Occasionally, palmetto fronds would comprise the exterior walls in the same manner, layered from top to bottom, forming a rainproof wall covering as well as insulation.
Native American tribes were known for using the Dwarf Palm for medicine and food, too. The Houma sliced the roots and baked them like a type of bread. They also used the dried roots in a decoction for the treatment of high blood pressure and kidney and urinary problems. Not to be confused with the Dwarf Palmetto, Saw Palmetto extract is used today to combat prostate problems. Even though Saw Palmettos can be found in Louisiana, they are not as common as the Dwarf Palmetto and can be distinguished by the small sharp spines which form saw-like edges and give the saw palmetto its name.
The Louisiana natives developed other ways to utilize this versatile native plant, like in basket weaving, a tradition that continues today. Weavers cut the center stalk of the plant, called the “heart,” from the living plant and hang them upside down to dry. After several weeks, the dark green fades to a light color as the stalk dries out. Once completely dry, the stalk can then be separated into long, thin strips, which are soaked in water to make them pliable before being woven together to make hats and baskets.
The Houma continue the tradition of palmetto weaving in Louisiana, making hats, placemats, and baskets to sell at festivals and open marketplaces. The easiest and most common weave is the flat-braid weave used to make hats, placemats, and fans. The more intricate half-hitch weave is used to make beautiful, sturdy baskets, taking days to complete. Samples of the Houma crafts can be found at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. and at local museums in Lafayette, Houma, and Natchitoches.
countryroadsmagazine.com/outdoors/knowing-nature/dwarf-pa...
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image by Photo George
©2011/ 2018 GCheatle
all rights reserved
locator: NOL_8746 B
Dwarf palmetto - Nature at the Bonnet Carré Spillway
Dwarf palmetto - Sabal minor
FAMILY: ARECACEAE
LEAVES: suborbicular (fan-shaped), 32 to 50 segments, 1 to 3 ft wide; segments may have filament threads on margins; petioles up to 3 feet
FLOWER: stalks up to 10 feet long; many small, white flowers; May to July
FRUIT: black fruit, 3/8 inch
BARK: rough, palm bark
FORM: stemless on dry sandy pinelands sites to a tree with a 6 to 8 ft trunk height on alluvial swampy-to-occasionally flooded sites.
HABITAT: dry to wet; palmetto indicates wet sites that are not subject to annual flooding; not a good indicator today because of levees
RANGE: coastal plains
USES: fibers for ropes, roofing, honey
NOTE: form with a trunk is sometimes named Sabal louisiana; www.rnr.lsu.edu/plantid/species/palmetto/palmetto.htm
++ ++ ++ ++ ++
Dwarf Palmetto
This native palm heals, shelters, feeds, and beautifies
by Wendy Wilson Billiot
Historically, the Dwarf Palmetto played an important role in the lives of Louisiana natives and French colonists. The Choctaw, Chitimacha, and Houma Indian tribes used the palmetto fronds as roof thatching for their huts, with European settlers often following suit. Starting at the edge of the roof, the fronds were placed in rows, one atop the other, moving up toward the peak of the roof. In so doing, the fronds formed a durable roof that worked well to shed rainwater. Occasionally, palmetto fronds would comprise the exterior walls in the same manner, layered from top to bottom, forming a rainproof wall covering as well as insulation.
Native American tribes were known for using the Dwarf Palm for medicine and food, too. The Houma sliced the roots and baked them like a type of bread. They also used the dried roots in a decoction for the treatment of high blood pressure and kidney and urinary problems. Not to be confused with the Dwarf Palmetto, Saw Palmetto extract is used today to combat prostate problems. Even though Saw Palmettos can be found in Louisiana, they are not as common as the Dwarf Palmetto and can be distinguished by the small sharp spines which form saw-like edges and give the saw palmetto its name.
The Louisiana natives developed other ways to utilize this versatile native plant, like in basket weaving, a tradition that continues today. Weavers cut the center stalk of the plant, called the “heart,” from the living plant and hang them upside down to dry. After several weeks, the dark green fades to a light color as the stalk dries out. Once completely dry, the stalk can then be separated into long, thin strips, which are soaked in water to make them pliable before being woven together to make hats and baskets.
The Houma continue the tradition of palmetto weaving in Louisiana, making hats, placemats, and baskets to sell at festivals and open marketplaces. The easiest and most common weave is the flat-braid weave used to make hats, placemats, and fans. The more intricate half-hitch weave is used to make beautiful, sturdy baskets, taking days to complete. Samples of the Houma crafts can be found at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. and at local museums in Lafayette, Houma, and Natchitoches.
countryroadsmagazine.com/outdoors/knowing-nature/dwarf-pa...
++ ++ ++ ++ ++
image by Photo George
©2011/ 2018 GCheatle
all rights reserved
locator: NOL_8746 B