Silver Palm, Silver thatch palm
Coccothrinax argentea

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A fan palm. The trunk is slender. It is 7 m high and 12 cm across. The upper part of the trunk is covered with woven fibres. The crown is sparse. It is 2 m wide and 2.6 m high. The leaf stalks are 60 cm long. The leaves are 1 m wide. The leaves are deeply divided. The segments are narrow and drooping. They are dark green and glossy on the upper surface and very silvery white underneath. The flowering stalk is 60 cm long. It is branched and born amongst the leaves. The flowers are white. The fruit are purplish-black. They are 1.2 cm wide.

There are 49 Coccothrinax species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. They grow in exposed rocky situations. It is often on limestone hills. They need an open sunny position. They need a well drained soil. It does best in tropical and subtropical conditions. It often does best in seasonally moist and dry climates. They are salt tolerant. In Central America it grows below 500 m altitude. They are drought tolerant. It suits hardiness zones 9-12.

Countries/locations it is found in

Bahamas, Central America, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti (country/location of origin), Hispaniola, India, North America, Panama, South America, USA (Florida), West Indies

How it is used for food

The very young leaves (or cabbage) are cooked and eaten.

Edible parts

Leaves, cabbage, palm heart

How it is grown

It is difficult to transplant.

They are slow growing.

Its other names

Local names

Florida Silver palm, Guano, Latanye maron, Latanye savann, Silvertop

Synonyms

Thrinax argentea Lodd. ex Schult. & Schult.f.; Thrinax garberi; Argentea and argentata could be confused.