Key Thatch Palm
Leucothrinax morrisii
Plant Family: Palmae
Leaves: Palmate, over 1 m long, divided for only half the length of the segments, petioles without spines, green above, grayish-white beneath.
Bark: Gray
Flowers: White, fragrant, in drooping clusters, appearing in spring.
Fruits: Rounded, green, turning white, without stalks, to 1 cm in diameter; mostly summer to fall.
Habitat: Hammock edges, pinelands, sandy soils of the Keys.
Growth Form: Shrub to small tree.
Similar Species: Florida Thatch Palm (Thrinax radiata) has light green leaf undersides; Silver Palm (Coccothrinax argentata) has leaf segments more deeply divided; Cabbage Palm (Sabal palmetto) has a V-shaped leaf.
Comments: Key Thatch Palm is considered an endangered species and is probably most common in the wild on Big Pine Key; it is planted at other Key locales.
