Neighborhood palms/some are identifiable (?) and others are unknown

[bubba]

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated:

[bubba]

Someone thought this was a Macaw palm (Acrocomania aculeata) but the leaf structure is entirely different and their are no spines on the trunk.

[bubba]

Shot of the same palm from another direction:

[bubba]

Bottle Palm that DoomsDave may recall:

[bubba]

Shoe for perspective:

[bubba]

Florida Thatch Palm:

[idontknowhatnametuse]

First one is Aiphanes minima, second one a Hyophorbe lagenicaulis and your 3rd ID seems to be right.

[bubba]

Satakentia liukiuensis:

[bubba]

Thank you 

[bubba]

My friend claims this is an Areca catechu dwarf. I believe it is a simple Areca catechu:

[bubba]

Juvenile Latania lontaroides. They do not stay red in humid Florida long:

[bubba]

What in the world is this:

[bubba]

Some form of Cocothrinax in front of a cluster of MacArthur palms. Please help me with ID's and corrections.

[Merlyn]

@bubba the first one can't be Aiphanes, they are all super stabby.  Unless maybe there's a spineless type somewhere? The "shredded tips" on the leaves and the twisty rachis & boots look really distinctive, but I can't remember the name right now.  

The unidentified one two posts up looks like one of the skinnier Dypsis/Chrysolidocaprus types...maybe.  the boots on the trunk look a little odd, but maybe it was just trimmed and there's a batch that haven't fallen off yet.  There are a whole lot of palms that look sorta like that, so no real ID guess from me.

So I guess...no real useful input from me, just a lot of typing!  

[bubba]

Thank you Merlyn. I agree about the questionable Macaw. I took pictures of the trunk, which is without spines. The leaf structure is also an issue per Palmpedia. The other palm in the front above the Cocothrinax is a mystery!

[aabell]

19 hours ago, bubba said:

Some form of Cocothrinax in front of a cluster of MacArthur palms. Please help me with ID's and corrections.

Split leaf bases means this one is Thrinax radiata

[Kim]

Your "What in the world is this" palm -- could it be an unhappy Howea forsteriana?

 

[bubba]

Howea is a tough grow here but the Breaker's manages to grow them decently in nooks and crannies with heavy canopy. I do not know what this palm is or the first. Wish we could grow those beautiful Howea's!

[MikeB]

The "what in the world is this" palm looks a lot like Laccospadix australasica.  I never thought they performed well in FL so probably not.  Anybody who is not a collector would most likely not have one.

[tim_brissy_13]

First photo definitely Aiphanes sp. 
 

The what in the world palm I can’t quite put my finger on but definitely not Howea. I’m nearly certain not Laccospadix either. The fronds and petioles remind me a lot of Carpoxylon, but I’ve never seen one with dead leaf bases attached and all the debris hanging on give me the impression it’s not a crownshafted palm. That could just be the way old bases are hanging on though - would be interesting to see what it looks like cleaned up a bit. 

[bubba]

Thank you! Will try to get more on "What in the world".

[Jonathan]

On 4/5/2026 at 8:22 AM, bubba said:

My friend claims this is an Areca catechu dwarf. I believe it is a simple Areca catechu:

Maybe it's the extremely rare Tall Dwarf? 

[Mazat]

On 4/5/2026 at 12:09 AM, bubba said:

Shoe for perspective:

🌴🤗

[Mazat]

On 4/5/2026 at 12:09 AM, bubba said:

Shoe for perspective:

🌴🤗, Great photos and really unique, Keith 

[Looking Glass]

On 4/4/2026 at 6:22 PM, bubba said:

My friend claims this is an Areca catechu dwarf. I believe it is a simple Areca catechu:

I’m no expert in these, but isn’t the “dwarfism” for these, kind of on a spectrum?   I think there is regular, dwarf, and in-between types.  

[tim_brissy_13]

2 hours ago, Looking Glass said:

I’m no expert in these, but isn’t the “dwarfism” for these, kind of on a spectrum?   I think there is regular, dwarf, and in-between types.  

That’s my understanding too. This one is definitely either a dwarf or what they call a semi dwarf. 

[Hu Palmeras]

Buba🌴🌴🦜🦜

[Merlyn]

On 4/5/2026 at 6:15 PM, tim_brissy_13 said:

First photo definitely Aiphanes sp. 

I tried zooming in on the trunk and upper crown area, and I think there are thorns up near the top.  Do some Aiphanes (or Bactris, etc) lose the trunk thorns with age?  I don't think I've ever seen an old one in person, so I have no idea.

[bubba]

Merlyn, I totally respect Tim's expert opinion on this palm. Many years ago I inquired and was told that it was a Macaw palm. Many of these older Carribean palms have spines but seem to lose them with age. All pictures on Palmpedia or elsewhere show spines but as you can see none on this trunk.

It cracks me up about the dwarf, semi-dwarf or standard A. catchetu! Who knows!

I am most interested in identifying the "what in the world" palm. I will get better pictures that will hopefully assist the experts with identification. Thank you and everyone for their help.

[Eric in Orlando]

The first is Aiphanes minima. They are usually very spiny but can vary with less. And older palms often have less spines on the trunk as they age and wear off. Older Acrocomia do this too.

I think the mystery skinny palm is Reinhardtia paiewonskiana.

[mnorell]

2 hours ago, Eric in Orlando said:

The first is Aiphanes minima. They are usually very spiny but can vary with less. And older palms often have less spines on the trunk as they age and wear off. Older Acrocomia do this too.

I think the mystery skinny palm is Reinhardtia paiewonskiana.

Wow, Eric, I thought you might be joking a la "Reinhardtia pie-in-the-sky-ana"...I have only ever known about Reinhardtia simplex and gracilis and never looked any further into the genus...and now I see that this is a real thing...what a nice palm when well grown (see the beautiful pictures online at RPS), and why isn't it in greater cultivation?? I can't believe I've never heard of this thing. I'm always on the lookout for slender-trunked, more gracile palms as they serve such a purpose in our smaller residential landscapes (and easier to protect where I am in hot/sunny Palm Springs). I was wondering at first if this might be another species that I've been trialing here, Heterospathe uniformis, which has a similar form, and which cruised through our winter here (albeit a warm one this year). Does this Reinhardtia have any cold-hardiness? Perhaps your familiarity with it indicates you might be trialing it up in Orlando? I'd be interested to hear how it has fared in this great-for-testing Florida winter from which y'all have just emerged.

And thanks, Bubbakeith, for showing this very interesting "what in the world" (and which were my thoughts exactly upon seeing it).

[Hu Palmeras]

Thanks for sharing. I hope you have many more palm trees or photos to show us.

[bubba]

Thanks to everyone on these palms and particularly Eric. I agree with mnorell that Reinhardtia p was not in my wheelhouse. 
 

The picture may be misleading. This is not a small fragile palm. I will attempt to get some closer shots that give perspective on the size and depth of this specimen. Looking at Palmpedia, I do see resemblance and the pictures show that it is grown in this area. More to come!

[Eric in Orlando]

On 4/7/2026 at 11:24 AM, mnorell said:

Wow, Eric, I thought you might be joking a la "Reinhardtia pie-in-the-sky-ana"...I have only ever known about Reinhardtia simplex and gracilis and never looked any further into the genus...and now I see that this is a real thing...what a nice palm when well grown (see the beautiful pictures online at RPS), and why isn't it in greater cultivation?? I can't believe I've never heard of this thing. I'm always on the lookout for slender-trunked, more gracile palms as they serve such a purpose in our smaller residential landscapes (and easier to protect where I am in hot/sunny Palm Springs). I was wondering at first if this might be another species that I've been trialing here, Heterospathe uniformis, which has a similar form, and which cruised through our winter here (albeit a warm one this year). Does this Reinhardtia have any cold-hardiness? Perhaps your familiarity with it indicates you might be trialing it up in Orlando? I'd be interested to hear how it has fared in this great-for-testing Florida winter from which y'all have just emerged.

And thanks, Bubbakeith, for showing this very interesting "what in the world" (and which were my thoughts exactly upon seeing it).

They weren't extra cold sensitive, we had 2 planted out. I'm not sure how the one fared after this past freeze. One we lost to lack of water after an irrigation problem. They don't really have any drought tolerance, at least as juveniles.

 

 

[Palmarum]

On 4/4/2026 at 6:22 PM, bubba said:

My friend claims this is an Areca catechu dwarf. I believe it is a simple Areca catechu: ...

That is a Dwarf Betel Nut and I believe I have seen him in person before. The corner of that house looks familiar. He was significantly shorter then. The dwarfism applies to the leaves and crown, not to the overall height of the trunk.

 

On 4/4/2026 at 6:26 PM, bubba said:

What in the world is this: ...

The skinny mystery, I am not sure. I would need to clean off those old leaf bases and see what the green leaf bases and/or crownshaft looks like along with the upper trunk. The stepped-ringed trunk looks familiar as do the keeled leaves. I have an idea but... it's too skinny... even though I know it could be stretched in the shade. If there are green upper trunk rings... that could be something.

Ryan

[bubba]

  I was waiting for you Ryan! I will get better pictures. The trunk of this palm is not thin. Eric may be correct.

I will take better and more detailed pictures and give the experts appropriate material to work with!

 

[bubba]

Please find a series of photos of the "what in the world" palm. Reinhardtia p. may well be accurate. The information I have on that palm indicates it is quite slender. This is not slender but not truckulent(I make up words!). It is approximately 25 feet in height. Any and all opinions are welcomed!

[bubba]

[bubba]

[bubba]