The last day of October marked the end of the saw palmetto berry harvest season and another year of poaching that has vexed law enforcement from South Carolina to the Florida Keys and across the Gulf Coast.
Saw palmetto is a common plant throughout the Southeast. The short shrub with long spiky leaves is often used in landscaping because it is hardy, adaptable, and requires little water. Once a year, the plant produces berries that Indigenous peoples have traditionally used for medicinal and dietary purposes.
Anurag Pande, vice president of science and commercialization at Valensa, a Eustis-based manufacturer of natural supplements, discusses how saw palmetto berries are used in the company's products.
Growing demand for saw palmetto berries over the past decade has also fueled an illicit trade. Poachers have been harvesting the berries from both private and public lands. Chad Weber, public information officer with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, discusses how the agency responds to poaching and the effects berry theft can have on surrounding wildlife and the environment.
During this year's legislative session, Florida lawmakers passed a law requiring anyone who harvests saw palmetto berries for sale to obtain a license and maintain records. Troy Rentz, president of Saw Palmetto Market LLC in DeLand, discusses how berries are legally sourced in the region.
