The sabal palm is Florida's state tree and is Florida's most abundant native palm tree. It can grow to heights of 60 feet or more and has large, fan-shaped leaves. This unbranched palm is commonly found throughout Florida. Nature Conservancy staff and volunteers removed invasive, non-native plants from the preserve's beach dune and replaced them with native plants such as this sabal palm. Sea grapes form a tunnel over this section of the dune path at Blowing Rocks Preserve.
Sea grapes are smooth-barked and can grow as a tree or shrub.
Their round, evergreen leaves are leathery and about 8-inches in diameter. The flowers are small ivory blossoms, which develop into reddish fruits that are edible. A native of Florida, the tropical sea grape does well in areas of high salt and poor soil. It is commonly found in coastal hammocks , dunes and beaches of South Florida and the Keys. On the Dunes of Blowing Rocks A climb up a few steps brought us from sea grape populated dunes to a breathtaking view of the aquamarine waters of the Atlantic Ocean.