A Tree So Important They Put It On The State Flag

It's the Palmetto State, After All!

South Carolina's state tree: The Cabbage Palm.


       Unlike the Crape Myrtle, the Cabbage, Sabal, or South Carolina Palm is native to South Carolina. A branchless evergreen tree, the Cabbage Palm can grow up to thirty-three feet tall, and produces yellow, brush-like flowers, typically below its wide and divided leaves. While naturally occurring along the coastal plain of South Carolina, it is not uncommon to see Cabbage Palms planted throughout the state in both suburban and urban areas. They are a typical sight around state government buildings (especially in the state capital of Columbia), neighborhood entrances, and schools (SCDNR ACE Characterization Study Species Gallery). South Carolina's subtropic climate makes it easy for these palms to thrive even away from the humidity of the coast that they are used to.

A Deeper Meaning

But wait, why is it the Palmetto State, again?

   

       On June 28th, 1776, the British launched an attack on the above-pictured Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island from the modern-day Charleston Harbor. The most plentiful wood at the time of the fort's construction off the South Carolina coast was—you guessed it—palmetto logs. The rubbery wood the palmetto tree provided proved to be most helpful in the American forces' defense against the British, absorbing the force of cannonballs instead of collapsing or breaking under the artillery strength of the mighty Royal Navy. This information is more on the NPS page on Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie.
       Colonel Moultrie, for whom the fort was named, chose the indigo blue color and the crescent "moon", as that was the symbol that South Carolina militia men wore on the front of their caps. In 1861, the Palmetto tree was added as a commemoration of the victory on Sullivan's Island (SC State House Student Page).




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