Leucothrinax morrisii

Key thatch palm

Whereas common names we know for plants today have a variety of different reasons for being chosen, there is one main source for plant common names in traditional societies – practical use. It makes sense to use a name for a plant that not only identifies it as a unique entity but also provides information about its most important uses and characteristics. Fronds from the Key thatch palm must have been used to make brooms amongst the peoples in its native Caribbean range, as several names for it translate to “broom palm.” We don’t frequently use plants directly from the wild for practical use anymore, so plant names that make practical sense are forgone in lieu of names like “sausage tree,” “mother-in-law’s tongue,” “kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate,” “dinosaur food,” “monkey puzzle tree,” “kangaroo paws” and “stinking Christopher.” Oh, progress.

The Key thatch palm is slow growing and has ornamental silvery undersides to its leaves. It does not grow any farther north than Zone 10, but is a great palm for here in the Keys where it is highly salt and drought tolerant. Birds also love to visit the tree for its small white fruits.

Indigenous Caribbean and Floridian populations have used it to make fiber rope and nets. This fiber was also used to stuff pillows and mattresses. Fronds are also used to thatch roofs and weave various material items, including baskets. Tribes in the Matecumbe area of the Florida Keys used this plant to make women’s shawls as protection from the hot sun. In Hispaniola, roots and shoots are used to make a restorative tonic. Medicinal extracts from the palm have been used to treat tuberculosis, bronchitis and other respiratory problems.