Ah, the palmetto tree. What could be more symbolic of strength in good times and in bad, than the ever-enduring Sabal Palmetto? Native to the Southern U.S., the Sabal Palmetto is more than just flora to create wistful sunset silhouette photos for social media posts. It’s served as food, shelter, protection from storms, and more for hundreds of years. It’s easy to love South Carolina’s state tree, and easy to turn to this symbol of strength in periods of uncertainty. Here are seven reasons to love our state tree (but we’re sure there are many, many more):

1. It evokes a sense of calm.
Flickr/Malcolm Manners
Whether in the face of uncertainty or in the midst of the wildest, best day you've ever had... a Sabal Palm silhouette against the sunset helps you center.
2. Its wacky and wonderful plumage is always changing. It's been called everything from cabbage palmetto to swamp cabbage, but the sometimes crazy leaves make us smile — and the sound of the wind rustling through them doubles the pleasure.
Michael Warren / iStock / Getty Images Plus Collection via Getty Images
3. Sabal Palmettos mean paradise is found. The long and lanky trunks smattered all over the beach create a sense of being in the tropics.
TripAdvisor/Brooke P

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4. The Sabal Palmetto is a symbol of courage and strength.
Wikipedia/Johannes Oertel - New York Public Library
During the Revolutionary War's Battle of Sullivan's Island, a fort was crafted out of horizontal palmetto trunks.
5. In 1939, South Carolina officially named the Sabal Palmetto as the state tree. In 2000, it was integrated into the official design for the South Carolina commemorative quarter of the U.S. Mint.
Wikipedia/United States Mint
6. As if all this weren't enough: the Sabal Palmetto has a reputation for being somewhat indestructible. Along the South Carolina coast, it's survived fires, floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes.
Flickr/Matthew Beziat
7. The palmetto symbol is a constant reminder that we can stand tall and overcome anything in South Carolina. It brings the community together.
Achisatha Khamsuwan / iStock / Getty Images Plus Collection via Getty Images

What are your favorite things about the state tree of South Carolina? Join the discussion below!

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