Kauaʻi record · kba_plant_coccothrinax_barbadensis
Silver palm
Coccothrinax barbadensis
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About Silver palm
Silver palm (Coccothrinax barbadensis) is an introduced tree treated as naturalized on Kauaʻi by Bishop Museum’s 2025 checklist and the 2026 Smithsonian checklist. Current extent is unassessed. Native to Venezuela and Caribbean islands, where it occurs in limestone soils, coastal maritime forest, and scrubby woodland. The USDA APHIS IDTools treatment records it as cultivated in Hawaiʻi; Bishop Museum independently documents naturalized Kauaʻi presence.
Kauaʻi evidence
Taxonomic identity, tree form, diagnostic morphology and island occurrence use the linked reviewed sources. Historical planting, cultivation, naturalization and invasive status are separate. Generated imagery is not occurrence evidence.
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Coccothrinax barbadensis
- Common names
- Silver palm
- Other names
- Coccothrinax barbadensis · Silver palm · Copernicia barbadensis · Thrinax barbadensis · Coccothrinax dussiana
- Record type
- Species
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- Recorded on Kauaʻi
- Origin
- Introduced
- Conservation status
- Not yet assessed
- Evidence date
- 2026-10-05
- Evidence limits
- Current extent is unassessed; public locality is island level only.
Habitat and ecology
- Habitats
- Not yet assessed
- Food and resource needs
- Not yet assessed
- Reproduction
- Not yet assessed
- Shelter
- Not yet assessed
- Growth form
- confirmed palm tree scope
Threats and conservation
- Monitoring
- Not yet assessed
- Data gaps
- Current population extent and trajectory · Additional species-specific ecological and conservation sources
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal timing
- Not yet assessed
- Seasonal description
- Silver palm (Coccothrinax barbadensis) is an introduced tree treated as naturalized on Kauaʻi by Bishop Museum’s 2025 checklist and the 2026 Smithsonian checklist. Current extent is unassessed. Native to Venezuela and Caribbean islands, where it occurs in limestone soils, coastal maritime forest, and scrubby woodland. The USDA APHIS IDTools treatment records it as cultivated in Hawaiʻi; Bishop Museum independently documents naturalized Kauaʻi presence.
Sources and further reading
- https://hbs.bishopmuseum.org/publications/pdf/tr75.pdf
- https://editedimages.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/Imadaetal.2025Hawaiianvascularplants.xlsx
- https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:62346-2
- https://idtools.org/palm_id/index.cfm?entityID=3205&packageID=1109
- https://doi.org/10.5479/si.32124043