This elegant fan palm is Coccothrinax clarensis, sometimes called the Santa Clara Silver Palm. It belongs to the palm family, Arecaceae, and is found naturally only in Cuba. Kew recognizes it as an accepted species with two subspecies, both restricted to the island.

The palm usually develops a single, slender trunk topped by a rounded crown of fan-shaped leaves. Each leaf is divided deeply into narrow segments that spread outward from a central point, rather like the ribs of a folding fan.

The upper surface of the leaf is green, while the underside may appear pale gray or silvery. When the wind moves the leaves, the crown can seem to flash between green and silver.

Like many palms in the genus Coccothrinax, the trunk may retain a woven covering of old leaf-base fibers, especially near the crown. As the palm ages, the lower part of the trunk may become smoother and show rings where older leaves have fallen.

The flowers are small and pale, appearing in branching clusters among or just below the leaves. They are followed by small, rounded fruits that darken as they mature. Birds and other animals may feed on the fruits and help disperse the seeds.

The species name clarensis refers to the Santa Clara region of Cuba, where the palm was first associated botanically. Its natural distribution is limited to central and eastern parts of the island, although Kew currently summarizes its native range as eastern Cuba.

Its restricted range makes this more than simply an attractive ornamental palm. Kew’s current conservation assessment predicts that the species is threatened, reflecting the vulnerability of plants confined to small and specialized habitats.

There has also been some disagreement among botanists about its classification. Some earlier treatments combined forms of Coccothrinax clarensis with other Cuban species, but Kew and World Flora Online currently continue to recognize it as an accepted species.

This is a palm whose beauty lies in proportion and texture: a narrow trunk, a symmetrical crown and leaves that reveal a silvery underside whenever they move in the breeze.

It is also a reminder of Cuba’s remarkable palm diversity, where many species occur naturally nowhere else in the world.