Photos

Evening sunlight illuminates a Sabal Palm frond, (Sabal palmetto), the state tree of both Florida and South Carolina.

Aboriginal Americans used these fronds as thatch for the roofs of their huts, (known as chickees,) for basket-weaving and similar uses. Fibers obtained from beaten fronds were twisted into rope and woven into coarse cloth. The trunks of the trees were used as uprights for the huts, and were sometimes made into canoes (although other trees, more durable, were preferred for that purpose.)

The delicacy "Hearts of Palm" is the unsprouted fronds from the top of the tree, and the berries were sometimes used as food, and were valued for medicinal purposes and brewing a kind of beer. All-in-all, a pretty useful tree.

Cropped for size and composition. Noise filtering with Neat Image set to camera profile.