The sick palm-trees

Very recently a story was distributed through the Internet describing some kind of illness affecting the Florida state tree, 'sabal palmetto' or 'cabbage palm'. Website http://www.floridata.com/ tells us that "...removal of the bud is lethal to the palm...".

The palm variety is numerous in Martin County, FL; the fronds fall off as the tree grows and the trunk is covered with the hardened frond-bases, making close contact with the 'adolescent' trees a very rough encounter. The frond-bases do eventually fall off, but before they do any number of other species find refuge where the shed-frond-base remains connected to the growing tree, as can be observed and other websites report. The baby trees have smooth trunks; and after many fronds and frond-bases fall from the growing adolescent, the trunk again grows tall and smoothly, as if the bristly phase protects the growing tree from harm. The bristley frond-bases seem to be clipped, but are natural leaf separations.

As deliberate demonstration, it can be surmised, a growing cabbage palm on SE Ocean Boulevard has been encased in a sort of concrete 'sleeve' held together with now-rusting giant embedded metal staples. The palm is a growing adolescent, and the tree has burst its concrete sleeve and staples in spectacular if not macabre bristley fashion near the Treasure Coast Hospice Thrift Shop, which is across the street from the Martin Memorial Thrift Shop.

No tattling intended, one of the FL state trees is sick within Kingswood Condominium Complex after its growing fruit stem was taken during a scheduled landscaping foray -- the green fruit cluster just disappeared and the tree has been losing its top-fronds suddenly and may soon resemble a mere post. The tree in question is not hugely tall and does appear to have been intentionally victimized in a pruning-type way; baby trees have been planted nearby perhaps as a horticultural shore-up.

The sabal palmettos are not fun or easy to stand near or touch when in their bristley phase, and possibly some motive to 'tame' them (alter their phenotype) has been attempted.