Florida Thatch Palm

Scientific name: Thrinax Radiata

POWO Status: Tree

IUCN Red List threat level: Least Concern

GPS Location: 17° 42′ 54.40″ N, 64° 49′ 46.63″ W

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Observations:

Phenological Markers – Thrinax radiata (Florida Thatch Palm)

Family: Arecaceae (Palm family)
Common Names: Florida Thatch Palm, Sea Thatch Palm, Palma de Sierra, Brittle Thatch
Habitat: Native to southern Florida, the Bahamas, the Caribbean (including the Virgin Islands), and parts of Central America. Found in coastal hammocks, dry limestone forests, and sandy dunes, especially in well-drained, rocky soils.

Phenological Markers:

  • Flowering Period:
    Flowering can occur year-round in tropical climates, but it typically peaks in late spring to summer (April to August). The inflorescences are slender, branched, and bear small, creamy-white, fragrant flowers.
  • Fruiting Period:
    Fruits ripen about 5–6 months after flowering, often maturing from October to January. The fruit is a small, round white to ivory-colored drupe, about 1–1.5 cm in diameter.
  • Leaf Fall:
    Evergreen, shedding older fronds as new ones emerge. Leaf loss is gradual and consistent year-round, especially in cultivated or windy conditions.
  • Budding Period:
    New fronds emerge continuously, with a slight increase in growth rate during the early rainy season (April to June).

Key Features:

  • Leaves: Fan-shaped (palmate), divided into many narrow segments, bright green on top with slightly paler undersides. Petioles are slender and unarmed (no spines).
  • Trunk: Slender, solitary, gray trunk that can reach 6–10 meters tall; often with a skirt of retained dead leaves in wild specimens.
  • Flowers: Small, white, and sweetly scented, arranged on arching inflorescences that extend beyond the crown.
  • Fruits: Smooth, round, white drupes that are attractive to birds and bats, aiding in seed dispersal.

Additional Notes:

Its compact size, hardiness, and graceful crown make it a popular ornamental palm for small gardens and public spaces.

Thrinax radiata is a native and ecologically important palm in the Virgin Islands, often used in coastal restoration and native landscaping due to its drought and salt tolerance.

It is sometimes confused with Leucothrinax morrisii, but Thrinax radiata has larger fruits and lacks the silvery leaf undersides of Leucothrinax.

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