Pseudophoenix sargentii ssp. sargentii Sargent’s cherry palm is a northern Caribbean species with a recent history that represents a case study in species conservation. Elliott Key is the site of the last remaining wild population of this subspecies in North America. Nearly lost in the Florida Keys from habitat destruction and poaching for use as landscape plants, the remaining wild population is now being preserved and replanted in a joint project with Biscayne National Park. Sargent’s cherry palm is a handsome and adaptable, but slow-growing ornamental palm. Pseudophoenix sargentii ssp. saonae, the one other subspecies, has a northern Caribbean distribution.

Copernicia baileyana occurs in savannas and woodlands of Cuba. The Garden’s landscape architect, William Lyman Phillips, learned of this species when looking for salt tolerant palms for an area in the Garden’s lowlands. He made the most of this architechtonic palm by planting it in groups.