Coccothrinax argentata (Jacq.) L.H.Bailey

Coccothrinax argentata, commonly called the Florida silver palm, is a species of palm tree. It is native to south Florida, southeast Mexico, Colombia and to the West Indies, where it is found in the Bahamas, the southwest Caribbean and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Its natural habitat is rocky, calcareous soil in coastal scrubland and hammock communities.

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It is a small, slow-growing fan palm 2–6 meters (6.6–19.7 ft) tall with leaves that are dark blue-green above and silver-colored below. Measurements in Fairchild Tropical Garden showed an average growth rate of 12 centimeters (4.7 in) per year. Flowers are white and small on light orange branches. The fruits are globose and half an inch in diameter. They are initially green and turn purple or black when ripe. Silver palms in their natural habitat often grow among saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) and cabbage palmetto (Sabal palmetto) which have similar fronds. Silver Palms can be distinguished by its smooth vertical trunk, and its small, crescent-shaped hastula.

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The endangered Key deer (Odocoileus virginianus clavium) are known to feed on the fruit of the silver palm.

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Coccothrinax argentata was first described in 1803 by Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin as Palma argentata. It was transferred to the genus Coccothrinax by Liberty Hyde Bailey in 1939.

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