Friday, March 25, 2011

Plants with lovely forms 2

Here ia another Florida native named the Keys Silver Palm. Although Coccothrinax argentata is not endemic, we like to call it our own. The silver, which is a common evolutionary outcome in plants, can be seen when the frond is turned upside down. The weeping habit of the fronds give an impression of a droopy slumbering plant that, with a little nudge, would straighten up and act like other palms. This palm is a cousin of the palm from yesterdays post, Thrinax radiata, albeit smaller and more delicate.

Coccothrinax argentata in my garden.

Coccothrinax argentata growing wild at Bahia Honda State Park
in the middle of the Florida Keys.

Bahia Honda State Park holds the winner for the
oldest Coccothrinax argentata in the United States,
which some estimate up to 200 years old.



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About Me

I am a landscape designer based in Key West, Florida and Surry, Maine. I place much attention with the house, not as an adjunct to the garden but as an integral element. This symbiotic relationship will always produce the best and most natural environment. The best description for my views on the relationship between the garden and the house comes from the naturalist Charles Keeler, “landscape design with occasional rooms in case of rain”