Uses of saw palmetto (Serenoa repens, Arecaceae) in Florida

Saw palmetto [Serenoa repens (Bartr) Small] is the most common native palm in the U.S. and, possibly, the most useful. Cattle and wildlife, especially black bears and white-tailed deer, consume the fruits. The flowers are a f avorite nectar source for honey bees, and the sprawling, shrubby palm provi des excellent cover for birds, reptiles, and small animals. Saw palmetto's edible fruits were a staple in the diet of Florida's pre-contact inhabitant s. Vegetative parts of the plant supply fiber, wax and roof thatch. Current interest in saw palmetto stems from its use ill the treatment of benign pr ostatic hyperplasia. An estimated 6800 000 kg of the fruit nl-e shipped to Europe each year. Preliminary data suggest that the economic value of saw p almetto harvesting may exceed that of cattle grazing, the common use of muc h saw palmetto habitat.