A Resource for Pests and Diseases of Cultivated Palms
Identifying Commonly Cultivated Palms
Coccothrinax barbadensis
Common name
silver palm, latanier, Lesser Antilles silver thatch palm
Description
Stems: Solitary, erect stems, to 15 m tall (usually shorter in cultivation), up to 18 cm in diameter, with faint rings from leaf scars. The upper reaches of older palm stems are covered with burlap-like woven fibers from old leaf bases, as are stems of young palms. Leaves: Palmate, induplicate, with blade (about 1.5 m across) divided up to two-thirds its length by numerous, narrow segments that droop at the tips. Leaflets become narrower toward the tip, with an abrupt transition zone called the "shoulder." The upper leaf surface is bright green with a yellow halo surrounding the raised, triangular hastula; the undersurface, silver-gray; leaftips, bifid; transverse veinlets are obvious. The fibrous leaf sheath has two layers, and the unarmed petiole is not split at the base. Flowers and fruits: Inflorescence is shorter than the leaves, to 1.5 m long, branched to two orders with up to 10 primary branches. The yellow flowers have both male and female parts. The fruits are spherical (6-12 mm in diameter) and purplish-black when ripe.
Diagnostic features
Field: Erect fan palms found on limestone soils, coastal maritime forests or scrubby woodlands; leaf sheath with finely woven fibers; unarmed margins on petiole that does not split at the base.
Lab: Silvery scales on the underside of the leaf blade and visible transverse veinlets.
May be confused with
Thrinax species, but the petioles of Thrinax palms split at the base while those of Coccothrinax do not.
Distribution
Native to Venezuela and Caribbean islands
Additional comments
Cultivated in Hawaii
Scientific name
Coccothrinax barbadensis (Lodd. ex Mart.) Becc.
Family
Arecaceae/Palmae
Synonyms
Coccothrinax australis L.H.Bailey
Coccothrinax boxii L.H.Bailey
Coccothrinax discreta L.H.Bailey
Coccothrinax dussiana L.H.Bailey
Coccothrinax laxa (O.F.Cook) Becc.
Coccothrinax martinicaensis Becc.
Coccothrinax sabana L.H.Bailey
Copernicia barbadensis (Lodd. ex Mart.) H.Wendl.
Thrinax barbadensis Lodd. ex Mart.
Coccothrinax barbadensis habit of young palm (MBC photo: 96167C).Photograph courtesy of Montgomery Botanical Center http://www.montgomerybotanical.org/
Coccothrinax barbadensis burlap-like fibers
Coccothrinax barbadensis leaf upper surface with hastula
Coccothrinax barbadensis leaf blade silvery undersurface
Coccothrinax barbadensis leaflet underside with transverse veinlets (with mm scale)
Coccothrinax barbadensis fruit (Starr Image 090806-4044). Photograph courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr, starrimages@hear.org
Coccothrinax barbadensis habit (MBC photo: 96167C-GD04). Photograph courtesy of Montgomery Botanical Center http://www.montgomerybotanical.org/
Coccothrinax barbadensis unsplit petioles
Coccothrinax barbadensis close view of leaf sheath fibers
Coccothrinax barbadensis close view of hastula
Coccothrinax barbadensis new leaf expanding with view of "shoulder"
Coccothrinax barbadensis with inflorescence. Photograph courtesy of Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden, Guide to Palms http://palmguide.org/index.php
Coccothrinax barbadensis seeds (MBC photo: 20070283-1). Photograph courtesy of Montgomery Botanical Center http://www.montgomerybotanical.org/