ABSTRACT
Coccothrinax. There are now 47 Caribbean species in the genus (Mabberley 1997). As with most palms, the heart is edible, as are the fruits (Morton 1968b). Oil from the
seeds is used in Haiti to “reavivar el olfato” (renew the sense of smell) (Liogier 1974). Leaves are used to make brooms. Stems are hard and are used to make pilings in salt water and for fences; leaves are used to thatch houses and to make baskets, ropes, twines, and hats. Stems were used by the early Europeans, and perhaps by indigenous people, for turtle craals or corrals (Austin and McJunkin 1978). Scott Zona (personal communication 2003) says that the most important modern application is in making brooms.
