Short Hair Old Man Palm

Coccothrinax borhidiana is an accepted palm endemic to Matanzas, Cuba, where it is restricted to a coastal area near Punta Guanos and Punta Seboruco. Kew recognizes the species and its Cuban range; Cuban botanists report that its habitat is threatened by oil exploration, roads, grazing, invasive plants, and frequent fires. [Kew Plants of the World Online](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:62348-2/general-information) · [Acta Botánica Cubana](https://revistasgeotech.com/index.php/abc/en/article/view/525) ## Form and growth A report by the Matanzas Botanical Garden describes C. borhidiana as a slow-growing palm. In its ex-situ collection, seedlings were grown under 50% shade and watered twice weekly in a nursery; three plants flowered and fruited twelve years after seed collection. The authors cite a reported maximum height of 4 m, approximately 13 feet. These observations describe that collection and do not establish a universal watering prescription or a single numeric garden-size point. [First flowering of C. borhidiana in the Matanzas Botanical Garden collection](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/377207262_Primera_floracion_de_Coccothrinax_borhidiana_en_la_coleccion_ex_situ_del_Jardin_Botanico_de_Matanzas) ## Common-name note The current nursery list uses “Short Hair Old Man Palm” for this species, while palm-identification literature also uses short-haired old-man wording for C. crinita subsp. brevicrinis. Keep the scientific name attached when comparing records; the leaf-sheath characters can distinguish related palms. [Fairview Nursery palm list](https://fairviewnursery.com/plants/palms/) · [Montgomery Botanical Center identification key](https://palmbeachpalmcycadsociety.com/palms/documents/Coccothrinax.pdf) ## Maintenance Published cultivation observations focus on seedlings and an ex-situ conservation collection rather than a mature garden schedule. The Matanzas report documents shade and irrigation used during propagation; adapt any cultivation plan to local conditions and conservation guidance, and avoid collecting wild plants.