''Hemithrinax compacta'' is a species of palm that is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

Distribution and habitat

''Hemithrinax compacta'' flourishes on the

mogote A mogote () is a generally-isolated steep-sided residual hill in the tropics composed of either limestone, marble, or dolomite. Mogotes are surrounded by nearly flat alluvial plains. The hills typically have a rounded, tower-like form. Overvie ...

s 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 woodpecker The West Indian woodpecker (''Melanerpes superciliaris'') is a species of bird in subfamily Picinae of the woodpecker family Picidae. It is found in the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands and Cuba. Taxonomy and systematics The West Indian woodpecke ...

s and other birds, gray squirrels and lizards."Thrinax Compacta." Thrinax Compacta. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. .

References

compacta Trees of Cuba Endemic flora of Cuba {{tree-stub