Leucothrinax morrisii

Common Names

Key Thatch Palm, Brittle Thatch Palm, Silvertop-Palmetto, Buffalo Thatch, Buffalo-Top, Miraguano, Palma De Escoba, Broom Palm

Summary

Key thatch palm is native to Florida and the Caribbean; it is an evergreen palm that grows as a single-trunk plant with a slender trunk 20–35 ft tall and 8–12 ft wide, an upright open crown of fan-shaped fronds about 3.5 ft wide, leaves blue-green to yellow-green on the upper surface with silvery undersides, and white or yellow flowers on 55–100 cm inflorescences followed by small fruits that are white turning yellow.

Thrives in full sun to partial shade; tolerates clay, sand, loam soils and both alkaline and acidic conditions with well-drained moisture; highly drought- and salt-tolerant. Propagation by seed; landscape uses include specimen or group plantings, entryway focal point, deck/patio, containers, and highway medians; USDA zones 10B–11.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

20-35 feet

Spread

8 to 12 feet

Hardiness Zones

Zones 10B-11

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun. Tolerates partial shade.

Soil Type

Moist, well-drained soil; sandy to calcareous soils; tolerates clay, sand, loam; pH from acidic to alkaline.

Soil Drainage

Well-drained soil

Soil pH

Slightly acidic to alkaline; calcareous soils preferred.

Bloom Color

White

Bloom Time

Spring and Summer

Foliage Color

Blue-green upper surface with silvery to light-green undersides and a glaucous lower surface.

Fall Foliage Color

No color change

Leaf Lifecycle

Evergreen broadleaf

Growth Rate

Slow

Seasons of Interest

Spring, Summer, Fall

Propagation Methods

Seeds

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts butterflies, birds