Members of this genus are typically identified by the leaves which originate from a bare, unarmed petiole in a fan-like structure.

In 1990, Scott Zona outlined key morphological and anatomical characters that he used to analyze species relationships of Sabal.

Through this analysis of characters, Zona produced a cladogram that portrays evolutionary relationships amongst 15 species of Sabal.

[6] In 2016 Heyduk, Trapnell, Barrett, and Leebens-Mack conducted a new study on Sabal that analyzed molecular (e.g. nuclear, plastid) data from 15 species of the group.

[7] This study incorporated plastid and nuclear sequence data that together were used to estimate the relatedness between the species of Sabal.

[11] Leaf fossils of Sabal lamanonis have been recovered from rhyodacite tuff of Lower Miocene age in southern Slovakia near the town of Lučenec.

American black bears (Ursus americanus) and raccoons (Procyon lotor) are also known to feed on fruit of various species of Sabal.

Arborescent species are often transplanted from natural stands into urban landscapes and are rarely grown in nurseries due to slow growth.