Any of several shrubby palms chiefly of the southern U.S. and West Indies that have spiny-toothed petioles (leafstalks), especially a common palm ( Serenoa repens ) of the southeastern U.S., with a usually creeping stem.
Saw palmettos make up part of the vegetation found in the Florida Everglades . When undisturbed, they grow into great masses of foliage. The saw palmetto has recently drawn attention as the source of a possible treatment for prostate cancer.