Hemithrinax compacta

Hemithrinax compacta is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is a palm that is endemic to Cuba.

Distribution and habitat

Hemithrinax compacta flourishes on the mogotes of Cuba. Mogotes are dome-shaped hills in Cuba made up of coral rock. Hemithrinax compacta is the only species in its genus in Cuba that grows in the highlands, at an elevation of. Hemithrinax compacta needs to have more than per year of rainfall and a mean temperature of.

Description

The leaves of the palm have an average length of and the inflorescence of the palm is tightly clustered, giving rise to the species name. A mature H. compacta can have a massive trunk of up to thick and more than in height. The genus Thrinax has been grown in gardens. In addition, in Thrinax the fruits are dispersed and eaten by West Indian woodpeckers and other birds, gray squirrels and lizards.