Acoelorrhaphe wrightii

Synonyms:

<i>Paurotis wrightii</i>, <br/> <i>P. androsana</i>, <br/> <i>Acanthosabal caespitosa</i>

Common Names:

Paurotis Palm,<br/> Silver Saw Palmetto,<br/> Everglades Palm

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Figure 1. <i>Acoelorrhaphe wrightii</i> showing the silvery, fan shaped leaves

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Habitat:

Moist, sandy soil, often swamps (usually coastal), around the Caribbean coast from Florida to the West Indies.

Description:

A very attractive clumping plant, with distinctive silvery fan leaves, and a fibrous sheath around the trunk. If given the right conditions, (sun, water, and warmth) it can form a very large clump, several metres across, and up to about 5 metres high.

General:

This is a very ornamental plant, and quite a quick grower, but because of the size that it can reach, it is usually best planted in open spaces (unless you're quite handy with a pruning saw to lop out the occasional trunk).

Culture:

Full sun, and lots of water (likes to be able to get into ground water). Also reasonably cold tolerant.

Figure 2. <i>Acoelorrhaphe wrightii</i> stem detail

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Contributed by:

University of Florida-IFAS (Figures 1&2)<br/>

External Links:

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