Key thatch palm, Brittle thatch palm, Silver thatch palm
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Leucothrinax morrisii
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Arecaceae
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Landscape Uses:
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Accent or specimen tree in the Florida Keys. Buffer plantings. |
Ecological Restoration Notes: |
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Availability: |
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Widely cultivated. |
Description: |
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Small tree or shrub-like with a straight, erect trunk. Leaves fan-shaped, pale green above, silvery beneath, about 2-3 feet in diameter. |
Height: |
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Typically 8-15 feet in height; to 19 feet in South Florida. Becoming taller than broad when mature. |
Growth Rate: |
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Slow to moderate. |
Range: |
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Florida Keys; also collected once on an island south of Flamingo in Everglades National Park and recently discovered on Cape Sable in Everglades National Park; West Indies. For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the Exploring Florida website. |
Habitats: |
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Pine rocklands and rockland hammocks. |
Soils: |
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Moist, well-drained limestone soils, with or without humusy top layer. |
Nutritional Requirements: |
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Moderate to low; it prefers soils with organic content, but will still grow reasonably well in nutrient poor soils. |
Salt Water Tolerance: |
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Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water. |
Salt Wind Tolerance: |
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High; can tolerate moderate amounts of salt wind without significant injury. |
Drought Tolerance: |
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Moderate to high; plants growing in extremely dry soils may die during extended periods of drought. |
Light Requirements: |
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Full sun to light shade. |
Flower Color: |
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White turning yellow. |
Flower Characteristics: |
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Showy. |
Flowering Season: |
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All year; peak in spring. |
Fruit: |
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Round white drupe. |
Wildlife and Ecology: |
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Provides significant food and cover for wildlife. Larval host plant for monk skipper (Asbolis capucinus) butterflies. Attracts pollinators. |
Horticultural Notes: |
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Can be grown from de-pulped seed. Place container in light shade or full sun. |
Comments: |
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It is listed as endangered by the state of Florida. |
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George D. Gann in habitat, New Providence, Bahamas, 2012
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