Usually found in dry, hilly areas of northern and southern Haiti and the northwest of the Dominican Republic, Z. antillarum is a relatively short fan palm with clustered stems and a very distinctive appearance caused by its persistent spiny leaf sheaths.

Threatened by habitat destruction in Haiti, Z. antillarum is a popular ornamental species due to its distinctive appearance, low maintenance requirements and salt tolerance.

Zombia antillarum is a small palm which grows in dense, multi-stemmed clumps with stems up to 3 metres (10 ft) tall and 5 centimetres (2 in) in diameter.

Fruit are white in colour[3] (although orange-fruited individuals are also known to exist),[5][6] oblong or pear-shaped, 1.5–2 cm (0.6–0.8 in) in diameter and bear a single seed.

[9] In the first edition of Genera Palmarum (1987), Natalie Uhl and John Dransfield placed the genus in subfamily Coryphoideae, tribe Corypheae and subtribe Thrinacinae[10] using Harold E. Moore's 1973 classification of the palm family.

In northern Haiti, it grows along the tributaries of the Trois Rivières between Gros-Morne and Port-de-Paix, while in the south, it is found along the eastern edge of the Massif de la Hotte, between Miragoâne, Fond-des-Nègres and Fond-des-Blancs.

The species also occurs in northwestern parts of the Dominican Republic, between Dajabón, Jarabacoa, the Sierra de Yamasá, Puerto Plata and Gaspar Hernández.

It grows in dry, hilly regions at low elevation, usually on slopes and ridges, but is generally absent from valley bottoms.

In Haiti, Z. antillarum grows in association with a variety of other palms, including Coccothrinax argentea, Bactris plumeriana, Roystonea borinquena, Sabal causiarum and S. domingensis.

In the Dominican Republic, it grows in association with Pinus occidentalis, Calyptronoma rivalis, R. borinquena, S. domingensis, Copernicia berteroana and C. argentea.

[19] The plant is a popular ornamental,[3] and is valued for its unusual appearance, low maintenance requirements, small stature and salt tolerance.

[6] South of Sabaneta in the Dominican Republic, the petioles are reportedly "used to mix manioc flour for making cassava bread.

"[6] In 1821, Michel Étienne Descourtilz reported that the wood was used for snuff boxes and tobacco cases, that the kernel of the seed was used to treat scurvy, and that the sap had been used by Taino Amerindians "for its powerful properties".

Taylor and Timyan concluded that "we were able to find a link, albeit weak, between the name Zombia and Haitian culture, even though we could not verify that this species is typically associated with zombies".