Family: Arecaceae
Acoelorraphe wrightii, commonly known as the Everglades palm, Paurotis palm, or Madeira palm, is a clustering fan palm native to wetlands of southern Florida, the Caribbean, Central America, and parts of northern South America. It typically forms dense thickets in swamps, marshes, and along waterways, where its fibrous, multi-stemmed growth provides important habitat for wildlife. The palm has slender, gray-green trunks and fan-shaped leaves with distinctive split tips, creating a striking, tropical appearance. It can reach 20 to 25 feet in height and produces small white flowers followed by orange to black fruits that attract birds and other animals.
This palm is often planted in landscaping for its resilience and ornamental qualities, as it tolerates standing water, high humidity, and occasional drought. It is also salt-tolerant, making it suitable for coastal plantings. In its native range, Acoelorraphe wrightii plays a critical ecological role in stabilizing wetland soils and supporting diverse fauna. While not considered invasive in most areas where it is cultivated, it can spread through suckering and form dense stands if unmanaged. It is not currently documented as naturalized or invasive in the Hawaiian Islands.
High Risk Traits:
- Suited to tropical/subtropical climates
- Forms dense thickets via suckering
- Seeds dispersed by birds
- Reproduces vegetatively (fragmentation/suckers)
- Tolerates damage and recovers quickly
- Has spines on petioles
Low Risk Traits:
- Not known to be weedy or invasive
- Not toxic to humans or animals
- Low seed production
- No persistent seed bank
- Cannot hybridize (monotypic genus)
- Low potential for accidental dispersal (large fruit)
