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Floristic Inventory of the Florida Keys Database Online

Leucothrinax morrisii (H. Wendl.) C. Lewis & Zona
Key thatch palm, Brittle thatch palm, Silver thatch palm

Leucothrinax morrisii
Copyright by: George D. Gann
in habitat, New Providence, Bahamas, 2012

Family: Arecaceae

Group: Monocot

Substrate: Terrestrial

Habit: Tree

Perennation: Perennial

Native Range: South Florida and the West Indies, where scattered.

NatureServe Global Status: Apparently Secure

State of Florida Status: Threatened

Florida Natural Areas Inventory State Status: Rare

IRC SOUTH FLORIDA Status: Rare

Map of select IRC data for peninsular Florida

SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence: Present

SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status: Native

SOUTH FLORIDA Cultivated Status: Cultivated

Comments: This is native to the Florida Keys in both Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. One specimen was collected in 1965 on an island off of Flamingo in Florida Bay in Everglades National Park. This record is treated as being from the Monroe County Mainland by the Altlas of Florida Vascular Plants, which we follow here. A juvenile individual was also discovered in 2011 on Cape Sable in Everglades National Park by Marc Minno, ENP botanist Jimi Sadle and others. There are no other records from the South Florida mainland or from offshore barrier islands.

Visit our Natives For Your Neighborhood website for more information and images. For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the Exploring Florida website.

Synonyms: Thrinax morrisii, T. keyensis, T. microcarpa.

FLORIDA KEYS Occurrence: Present

FLORIDA KEYS Native Status: Native

IRC FLORIDA KEYS Status: Rare

Map of select IRC data for the Florida Keys

Florida Keys History and Distribution: Reported in 1913 by John Kunkel Small for hammocks and sandy shores throughout the Florida Keys.  We consider this native and extant throughout the Florida Keys.

Other data on Leucothrinax morrisii available from :

Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants

Leucothrinax morrisii has been reported from the following 20 conservation areas in the FLORIDA KEYS :
Occurrence Native Status
Bahia Honda State Park Present Native
Big Torch Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Biscayne National Park, Florida Keys Section Present Native
Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Curry Hammock State Park Reported
Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammocks Botanical State Park Present Native
Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park Present Native
Key West National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park Present Native
Little Hamaca Park Present Native
Little Torch Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Long Key State Park Present Native
Middle Torch Hammocks Parcel 3063, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
National Key Deer Refuge Present Native
Ramrod Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Spoonbill Sound Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Sugarloaf Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native
Torchwood Hammock Preserve Present Native
Wahoo Hammocks, Florida Keys Wildlife and Environmental Area Present Native




Leucothrinax morrisii has been reported for the following 3 habitats in THE FLORIDA KEYS :
Coastal Berm
Pine Rockland
Rockland Hammock


All Images:

Leucothrinax morrisii
Copyright by: George D. Gann
in habitat, New Providence, Bahamas, 2012
Leucothrinax morrisii
Copyright by: George D. Gann
Leucothrinax morrisii
Copyright by: Shirley Denton
Leucothrinax morrisii
Copyright by: Shirley Denton
Leucothrinax morrisii
Copyright by: Roger L. Hammer