Walk around Myrtle Beach or anywhere along the 40 miles of the Grand Strand and this is pretty much the image you will see. Sun rising over the blue Atlantic, surrounded by the state tree, the palmetto. Sometimes the locals get a little upset when this tree is referred to as a palm. But, in fact, a palmetto tree is merely one variety of over 2000 varieties of palms in the world. But, we locals still like to call it by it's true name, the Sabal Palmetto. This tree has been a symbol for South Carolina since the American Revolutionary War. There, it was used to build a fort on Sullivan's Island that withstood British attack. The palmetto tree appears on the first symbol of the state, the seal created in 1777. It was officially named the state tree in 1939.
Comments(1)