Coccothrinax spissa

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Figure 1. C. spissa at Fairchild Botanic Gardens

Common Names:

Guano,
Swollen Silver Thatch palm

Conservation Status:

Severely endangered, both by urban development and grazing activities.

Distribution & Habitat:

Dominican Republic

Description:

Medium sized solitary fan palm to about 5m, with a distinctive swollen "belly" in the middle of the trunk. It has slender pinnate leaves, with silvery undersides.

Culture:

Sunny, moist, but well drained position.

Figure 2. C. spissa showing the very distinctive "belly".

Figure 3. C. spissa in habitat, Dominican Republic.

Contributed by:

Gileno Machado (Figure 1)
Jack Sayers (Figure 2)
Bo-Gran Lundkvist,
Lundkvist Palm Garden (Figure 3)

External Links:

Kew, PalmWeb, eMonocot, JSTOR, Trebrown

Google, GoogleImages, Flickr, PalmTalk