This weekend I headed down to Southern Arkansas in search of our state's one and only native palm, the Sabal minor.

As I headed south toward Pine Bluff, there were no visible minors from the interstate, even in wet areas where

they would typically grow. So I continued south toward the Saline River and saw my first isolated stand of minors just off Highway 63.

Here is a picture of them...

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It appeared as I got closer that there were no inflorescense on these beauties. I'm not sure why because they seems large enough to reproduce. There were a few stalks on a couple of them but were from last year. So I headed on Southward and didn't see too much until I got closer to the Saline River area. I checked around the easy access areas like the boat ramps but found no minors present. The river was over its flood banks by a few feet and was very full with all the recent rainfall. I continued to search along the Saline River and nearby streams in its basin and discovered some very nice sabals along the flood plain.

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They seem to be clustered about in certain areas along the river, but there are many places were they continue into the hardwood forest. An interesting observation I found was that the largest minors grow under the hardwoods and must be very shaded in the summertime.

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The minors under the pine trees seemed to be a bit smaller. There were several seeds left, but the wildlife have already had a field day with them! It seems that they don't wait long to get this tasty treat. It was a really nice day with Mostly Cloudy skies and temperatures around 60F. I had a great time searching for these beauties and they are really a gem adding great diversity to the state. I would like to see them spread up the Saline River closer to the Little Rock area. After what I saw today, I find it hard to believe that there aren't any in central Arkansas close to the Saline River.

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Here is a link that might be useful: Additional Pictures