Dictyosperma is a monotypic genus of flowering plant in the palm family found in the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean (Mauritius, Réunion and Rodrigues).

The sole species, Dictyosperma album, is widely cultivated in the tropics but has been farmed to near extinction in its native habitat.

[4] The genus is named from two Greek words meaning "net" and "seed" and the epithet is Latin for "white", the common color of the crownshaft at the top of the trunk.

Three varieties are currently recognized: Living in the coastal forests of the Mascarenes, they experience warm temperatures, high humidity and regular rainfall.

It apparently evolved on Île Ronde and became restricted to feeding upon the island's endemic variety, and due to interbreeding (between varieties) on Mauritius itself which jeopardized reproductive potential, the scale insect increased in population as a result of stress upon the host, which then threatens the existence of both host and scale insect.