Puerto Rican Thatch Palm

Coccothrinax argentea is an accepted palm native to Hispaniola, specifically the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The current nursery label calls it “Puerto Rican Thatch Palm,” but Kew and USDA GRIN place the accepted species in Hispaniola; GRIN records “silver thatch,” “silver thatch palm,” and “broom palm” as English common names. [Kew Plants of the World Online](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30310531-2) · [USDA GRIN-Global](https://apg.pir.sa.gov.au/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=10997) ## Form and use The Rio de Janeiro National Museum botanical garden account describes a single trunk with densely woven fibers, fan leaves with a silvery underside, and a short, branched inflorescence. It reports an average height of 5–10 m, slow growth, tolerance of sandy and saline soils, ornamental use, and suitability for pots while young, as well as parks and gardens. The height label expresses the published interval in feet; no single numeric height or width is inferred. [Museu Nacional—Horto Botânico](https://www.museunacional.ufrj.br/hortobotanico/Palmeiras/coccothrinaxargentea.html) ## Placement Use the taxon-level botanical identity when selecting this palm, since several Coccothrinax species share silver-thatch names. Its native range and published horticultural account are consistent with a tropical palm for warm climates; the sources cited here do not establish a USDA hardiness range. ## Maintenance The botanical garden notes slow growth and young-container use but does not prescribe a pruning schedule. Keep the fibrous trunk and healthy leaves intact, and provide a well-drained sandy growing medium where cultivated.