Coccothrinax alta

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Monocots
Cladus: Commelinids
Ordo: Arecales

Familia: Arecaceae
Subfamilia: Coryphoideae
Tribus: Cryosophileae
Genus: Coccothrinax
Species: Coccothrinax alta
Name

Coccothrinax alta (O.F.Cook) Becc., 1908
Synonyms

Basionym
Thrincoma alta O.F.Cook, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 28: 540 (1901).

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Southern America
Regional:Caribbean
Leeward Is.; Puerto Rico

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References

Beccari, O., 1908. Webbia 2: 331
Govaerts, R. et al. 2018. Coccothrinax alta in World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2018 Dec. 16. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2018. Coccothrinax alta. Published online. Accessed: Dec. 16 2018.
The Plant List 2013. Coccothrinax alta in The Plant List Version 1.1. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2018 Dec. 16.
Tropicos.org 2018. Coccothrinax alta. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2018 Dec. 16.

Vernacular names
español: palma de abanico, palma plateada

Coccothrinax alta (palma plateada, palma de abanico,[1] Tyre palm)[2] is a palm which is native to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Like other members of the genus, C. alta is a fan palm. Trees are 2–6 m tall, with some individuals getting up to 11 m. Flowers are light yellow, and fruit are purple-black when ripe. It is found on lower elevations, but to 350 m above sea level.[1]

It is found on limestone substrates in northern Puerto Rico, and on volcanic substrates on the islands off eastern Puerto Rico. It has been recorded from Puerto Rico proper, Vieques and Culebra; Saint Croix, St. Thomas and St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands; and Guana Island, Tortola and Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands.[1]

George Proctor (in Acevedo-Rodríguez & Strong, 2005[1]) considers this to be a valid species on the basis of its shorter, more slender trunk, fewer stamens and much smaller fruit. Rafaël Govaerts[3] follows Read (1979) and considers it a synonym of Coccothrinax barbadensis.
References

Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro; Mark T. Strong (2005). "Monocots and Gymnosperms of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands". Contributions of the United States National Herbarium. 52: 1–405.
"Coccothrinax images". Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden Guide to Palms. Archived from the original on 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2007-11-13.
"Coccothrinax alta". Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Retrieved 2019-02-25.