Florida Thatch Palm
Thrinax radiata
Plant Family: Palmae
Leaves: Palmate, over 1 m long, light green beneath, divided for only half the length of the segments, petioles without spines.
Bark: Has a slender gray trunk.
Flowers: White, fragrant, in hanging clusters in the spring.
Fruits: Rounded, white, short-stalked, to 1 cm, in long clusters; summer to fall.
Habitat: Coastal hammocks, sandy soil.
Growth Form: Shrub to small tree.
Similar Species: Key Thatch Palm (Leucothrinax morrisii) and Silver Palm (Coccothrinax argentata) have gray-white leaf undersides; Cabbage Palm (Sabal palmetto) has a V-shaped leaf.
Comments: Florida Thatch Palm is an endangered species, found in the wild in the extreme southern peninsula and in Keys hammocks. It is more common in the West Indies, and on the coasts of Mexico and Central America.
