Foraging Texas: Palm - Texas Sabal

Scientific Name(s): Sabal mexicana
Abundance: common
What: fruit, palm heart
How: fruit raw; palm heart roasted, pickled
Where: landscaping, wild from southern to central Texas
When: summer, fall, spring
Nutritional Value:
Dangers: none

Texas sabal palm.

Texas sabal palm base.

Texas sabal palm trunk and crown.

Texas sabal palm fan-type leaves.

Fruit dark purple, .5” in diameter, thinly fleshed over a large seed, ripens in summer.

The palm heart is also eaten, but harvesting it kills the palm. Palm hearts (terminal buds) are the "root" the center-most, youngest leaf at the very top of the tree. It is harvested by cutting off the top of the tree and carving out the palm heart which kills the tree.

Leaf fibers make great cordage.

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