Tyre Palm

Scientific name: Coccothrinax alta

POWO Status: Tree

IUCN Red List threat level: Least Concern

GPS Location: 17° 42′ 56.98″ N, 64° 49′ 50.67″ W

Observations:

Phenological Markers – Coccothrinax alta (Hog Island Thatch Palm)

Family: Arecaceae (Palm family)
Common Names: Hog Island Thatch Palm, Tyre Palm (locally), Palma de sierra alta (in Puerto Rico)
Habitat: Native to the U.S. Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Typically found in dry forests, coastal scrub, and rocky uplands, especially on limestone ridges and exposed slopes.

Phenological Markers:

Flowering Period:
Mid to late spring (April to June), with small, cream-colored to yellowish flowers borne on slender inflorescences that extend past the leaves.
Fruiting Period:
Fruits typically ripen from late summer through fall (August to October). The fruit is a small, round, purple to black drupe when mature.
Leaf Fall:
Evergreen, but older fronds gradually die and hang down or fall naturally. Fronds are often trimmed in cultivated settings for appearance.
Budding Period:
New fronds begin developing in early spring (March to April), often before or concurrent with the emergence of inflorescences.

Key Features:

Leaves: Fan-shaped (palmate), green on top with a silvery underside. Leaf segments are narrow and deeply divided, giving a graceful, airy appearance.
Trunk: Slender and gray, often ringed with leaf scars, typically 3–8 meters tall.
Flowers: Tiny, in long arching inflorescences extending past the leaves.
Fruits: Small drupes, purple-black when ripe, about 1 cm in diameter, eaten by birds and other wildlife.

Additional Notes:

Coccothrinax alta is an important native species for dry coastal ecosystems and plays a role in soil stabilization and wildlife support.
It is often confused with Coccothrinax argentata, but C. alta tends to grow taller and in more upland or interior forest locations.
The palm is culturally valued for thatching and craft materials, though this use has declined.