Coccothrinax crinita

Native to Cuba, this plant is a slow-growing palm with a solitary trunk. Persistent leaf sheaths break down into a thick covering of long, woolly fibers, producing its characteristic shaggy appearance. Its deeply divided, fan-shaped leaves are green above and silvery underneath, with unarmed stalks. Long flower clusters bear small, creamy-white to yellow flowers, followed by rounded fruits that ripen purple to purplish black. The leaves and trunk fibers have traditionally supplied thatching material in Cuba. Wild populations are threatened by habitat loss and excessive harvesting of leaves and fibers. Photographed in Florida.