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| The Centenary College arboretum is home to two very large Louisiana palmettos (Sabal minor). They are more than 30 years old and have each developed substantial trunks. You can read more about them in a previous blog post, found here. This week we were fortunate to have an arboretum guest pose with the trunks. In the photo above, the young man, who measures just under three feet tall (34.5"), stands on a landscaping rock in the shade of the two palmettos. |
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| Both trunks were recently cleaned up; dead leaves and stalks were removed to call attention to the thick trunks. Even with the dead and decaying material removed, the two palmettos retain an unkempt appearance. |
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| Both palmettos are approximately 35 years old, but one is noticeably wider and taller. Perhaps the difference in size is simply explained by its proximity to the drainage channel. |
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| Our arboretum intern showed great interest in the palmetto leaves. Using one trimmed specimen, we can have the intern assist in displaying the mature leaf's size. It is about eight feet! |
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| These are large, unwieldy leaves, with stout, long petioles. If leaf and petiole were trimmed, we see fan-bearer potential. |
