Exploring for Sargent’s Cherry Palm

Tracy Magellan, MBC Outreach Manager, recently conducted an expedition to study and collect Pseudophoenix sargentii, the Sargent’s Cherry Palm, on Elliott Key in Biscayne National Park. Elliott Key houses the only native US population of Pseudophoenix sargentii, a Florida Endangered Species.

Montgomery Botanical Center currently has five populations of Sargent’s Cherry Palm in the collection from different regions in the Caribbean. Tracy’s work on Elliott Key brought back specimens and information, which highlights the need for further visits to this unique population.

MBC would like to thank the National Park Service for the scientific permit and access to Elliott Key and the International Palm Society (IPS) for generously supporting the research project.