A Humble Vulgar Tree: Explorations of the Natural and Cultural History of the Cabbage Palm, Sabal Palmetto

Authors

Jonathan Miller

First Advisor

Gary Mormino, Ph.D

Second Advisor

Christopher Meindl, Ph.D

Third Advisor

Albert C. Hine Ph.D

Publisher

University of South Florida St. Petersburg

Document Type

Thesis

Date Available

2012-03-28

Publication Date

2011

Date Issued

2011-10-20 00:00

Abstract

This thesis is a collection of separate essays exploring aspects of the natural and cultural history of the Cabbage Palm, Sabal Palmetto. It includes general observations about the plant, a description of an effort to determine how long they live, how cabbage palms came to appear on the State Seal of Florida, the persistence of cabbage palms in an area of rising sea level along Florida’s Big Bend coast, a discussion of the historic practice of leaving mature palms in citrus groves, the role of cabbage palms in Florida Scrub Jay nesting and honey production, the practice of placing a strip of palmetto leaf in Cuban bread, the role Palmetto Weevils may have played in the development of the semiochemical industry, profiles of a tiki carver and a sawmill operator, and a speculative fiction piece exploring what may have become of the Jody, the protagonist of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, The Yearling.

Comments

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Liberal Arts, College of Arts and Sciences, University of South Florida St. Petersburg

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Miller, Jonathan, "A Humble Vulgar Tree: Explorations of the Natural and Cultural History of the Cabbage Palm, Sabal Palmetto" (2011). USF St. Petersburg campus Master's Theses (Graduate).
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/masterstheses/19