"Palmetto leaves resembling a human palm."

Palmetto implies "little palm" - palm implies "flat" - "paw" implies flexed hook-like digits for the most part ending in sharp nails or "claws". Plato defined man as an animal on two legs (biped) and "naked" (lacking hair or feathers). Demosthenes "plucked" a dead chicken and declared "Here is Platos man" - promptly the definition was expanded to point out that humans have "flat nails" (and so do other primates).