It's a Butia odorata (jelly palm, Pindo palm).
Theyare drought tolerant and very hardy. So growing in Houston shouldn't be a concern. They like sandy soil and grow best in zones 8 and 9
I'm not sure what happened to yours. Possibly the cold everyone had past Christmas affected it and it got fungus. It may have also developed a condition at the root level. But it's dead. It's hard d to tell from those rocks. Is it in the ground or in a container?
