The genus rhapidophyllum includes only one species. The needle palm of rhapidophyllum assumes a shrublike clumping form with several stems growing from a single base, the stems growing very slowly and tightly together, eventually forming a dense base, with numerous sharp needle-like spines produced between the leaves. The whole plant can reach 2 to 3 m tall to the top of the erect central leaves. It is a fan palm with the leaves with a long petiole terminating in a rounded fan of 8–16 leaflets. The flowers are borne in dense, short clusters at the top of the stems; it is usually dioecious with male and female flowers on separate plants. The fruit is a brown drupe. It is native to coastal margins of the subtropical eastern Gulf and south Atlantic states of the United States. Endemic populations can be found from America.