Coccothrinax argentata

(Jacquin) L. H. Bailey

Gentes Herb. 4: 223. 1939.

Common names: Silver palm
Illustrated
Basionym: Palma argentata Jacquin Fragm. Bot., 39, plate 43, fig. 1. 1801
Synonyms: Coccothrinax garberi (Chapman) Sargent Coccothrinax jucunda Sargent Thrinax argentea var. garberi (Chapman) Chapman Thrinax garberi Chapman
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 22. Treatment on page 100.
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Stems generally solitary, 0–3 m, occasionally with vegetative sprouts forming on trunk. Leaves less than 1 m wide; segments silvery abaxially, stiff or lax. Inflorescences compact, not exceeding leaves; rachillae stiff; pedicels conspicuous. Fruits dark purple-black, globose, 6.5–12 mm diam. 2n = 36.


Phenology: Flowering spring–fall.
Habitat: Rocky, calcareous soil of coastal hammocks and scrub
Elevation: 0–10 m

Distribution

V22 259-distribution-map.jpg

Fla., West Indies (Bahama Islands).

Discussion

Palms of this species from Dade and Broward counties, Florida, are typically smaller in stature than those from the Florida Keys. It is not known if this dwarfism is purely the result of edaphic conditions or if it is a genetic trait.

Coccothrinax argentata is found in the Florida Keys and extreme southern Florida as far north as the vicinity of Boca Raton, Palm Beach County. It also occurs in the Bahamas. It is usually a small, single-trunked palm but occasionally develops multiple stems. It is most easily distinguished from Thrinax morrisii, with which it is sometimes confused in Florida, by the obscure transverse venation in the leaves and the purple-black fruits on long pedicels (versus conspicuous transverse venation and white fruits on short pedicels in T. morrisii).

This species has been reported (C. E. Nauman 1990) to produce sterile natural hybrids with Thrinax morrissii in the Florida Keys where the two species are sympatric.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Coccothrinax argentata"
Scott Zona +
(Jacquin) L. H. Bailey +
Palma argentata +
Silver palm +
Fla. +  and West Indies (Bahama Islands). +
0–10 m +
Rocky, calcareous soil of coastal hammocks and scrub +
Flowering spring–fall. +
Gentes Herb. +
Illustrated +
Coccothrinax garberi +, Coccothrinax jucunda +, Thrinax argentea var. garberi +  and Thrinax garberi +
Coccothrinax argentata +
Coccothrinax +
species +