The Saw Palmetto Palm or Cabbage Palm, native to Florida, is a handsome species which will grow well in a garden environment in Arriyadh. S. palmetto attains a height of 15 to 25 metres with a spherical 4 to 5-metre diameter crown, although it is slow to form a trunk. The lower part of the grey-coloured trunk is smooth; the upper part is covered with old leaf stem bases, known as boots, arranged in a criss-cross pattern. There is no crown shaft; large leaves grow right from the trunk spreading in all directions. The fan-shaped leaves are stiff, bright green to deep olive, and the spineless leaf stalk runs to the end of the blade, which is about 2 to 3 metres in diameter. Leaflets tips are split, with fibres coming off the edges. The creamy-white, fragrant flowers are small, and their long branched stems droop in clusters in mid-summer. Fruits are small, round and black when ripe. The tender terminal bud within the crown is eaten like a cabbage. Trees prefer full sun to light shade, which increases the crown of the palm. They adapt to all kinds of moist, well-drained soils, can tolerate drought as well cold weather, and are frost-hardy to –12°C. Very durable and wind-resistant, the Cabbage Palm has a strong, very deep root system and requires regular irrigation. The Cabbage Palm is propagated by seed. It is an excellent street or lawn tree, easy to care for and requires only low maintenance.