Leucothrinax morrisii

Leucothrinax morrisii, the Key thatch palm or brittle thatch, is the only species in its genus: a slender, spineless fan palm of coasts, dunes and limestone hills from the Florida Keys and the Bahamas to Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Leeward Islands.

A smooth grey trunk carries an open head of rounded fans, blue-green to yellow-green above and silvery white beneath. Many nurseries still sell it as Thrinax morrisii. It is a slow, wind- and salt-tolerant palm for seaside and small gardens.

At a glance

• Native range: Florida Keys, Bahamas, Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico and the Leeward Islands
• Mature size: 1–11 m; wild plants mostly 1.5–3 m
• Growth rate: slow, especially when young
• Light: full sun is best; also does well in half shade
• Water: very drought tolerant once established, but responds well to extra water
• Cold hardiness: about −4 °C without damage; survives −5.6 °C with leaf damage
• Indoors / outdoors: outdoors, including exposed coastal sites

Care

Plant in free-draining soil; it prefers alkaline, limy ground but accepts sand, loam, clay and acid soils. Extra water and fertiliser speed it up. It shrugs off salt spray and wind, needs little pruning, and has no serious pest problems recorded in Florida.

Why Palmpedia: Every plant is grown in our greenhouse in Almeirim, Portugal, and leaves us in a 15 L to 35 L pot.