Coccothrinax is a genus of more than 50 species of small to medium-sized fan palms belonging to the family Arecaceae, order Arecales. Colloquially known as silver palms — a name inspired by the characteristic silvery-grey undersides of the leaflets — the genus is the most diverse group of Caribbean palms, with the vast majority of its species endemic to Cuba.
Plants in the genus bear relatively slender stems that are initially wrapped in fibrous leaf sheaths. As the sheaths decompose, they leave behind a network of fibres or distinctive spines before eventually breaking down entirely to expose a bare trunk marked by leaf scars. Each palm carries between 8 and 22 palmate (fan-shaped) leaves, and the base of the petiole is not split longitudinally — a key character that distinguishes Coccothrinax from the closely related genus Thrinax. Branched inflorescences arise among the leaves and bear bisexual flowers with 6 to 13 stamens and a single carpel. The fruits are small, single-seeded, and range in colour from purple-red and purple-black to brown; the seeds are deeply grooved and have been compared in shape to a brain.
The genus was first formally described by the American botanist Charles Sprague Sargent in 1899, when he separated it from Thrinax on the basis of fruit and seed characters. It is placed within the tribe Cryosophileae. The World Checklist of Arecaceae currently recognises 52–53 species, and new species continue to be described — Coccothrinax spirituana was named as recently as 2017.
Many species have economic importance as a source of thatch, and in Spanish-speaking parts of their range the palms are commonly called guano.
Etymology
The name Coccothrinax was coined by the American botanist Charles Sprague Sargent in 1899. It combines the Latin coccus ("berry") with Thrinax, the related genus from which Coccothrinax was split, reflecting both the berry-like fruits and the close relationship between the two groups.
Distribution
Coccothrinax is a primarily Caribbean genus, distributed throughout the insular Caribbean, the Bahamas, extreme southern Florida, and southeastern Mexico, with the greatest species diversity in Cuba. C. argentata ranges from Florida and the Florida Keys through the Bahamas to southeastern Mexico, while C. barbadensis extends through the Lesser Antilles to Trinidad and Tobago and the Netherlands Antilles. Most other species have narrow, sometimes single-population ranges in Cuba or Hispaniola.
Ecology
Species of Coccothrinax typically grow in dry, open, or exposed habitats, most often on limestone, serpentine, or sandy soils. Their tolerance of poor, well-drained substrates allows them to occupy coastal scrub, rocky hillsides, and dry forest margins across the Caribbean islands.
Cultural Uses
Many species of Coccothrinax are harvested for their leaves, which are used as thatch for roofing in traditional construction throughout the Caribbean. In Spanish-speaking countries the plants are commonly called guano, a term broadly applied to thatch palms, reflecting their long-standing role as a roofing material.
Taxonomy Notes
Coccothrinax was established by Charles Sprague Sargent in 1899 when he segregated it from Thrinax using characters of the fruit and seeds. The genus is placed in the tribe Cryosophileae within Arecaceae. Although only 14 species were recognised in Henderson et al.'s 1995 Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas, subsequent work has raised the count to 52–53 species in the World Checklist of Arecaceae, and new taxa continue to be described. Coccothrinax is considered the most diverse palm genus in the Caribbean.
