Puerto Rican royal palm
Roystonea borinquena

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A solitary palm. The trunk is stout and tall. It bulges above the middle. It grows 15 m high. The trunk is 45 cm across. The crown-shaft is long. It is 1.6 m tall. The fronds are feathery. The leaflets are glossy green on the upper surface. The leaflets are arranged in many ranks. The fruiting stalk arises below the crown-shaft. The flowers are of one sex but both sexes occur on the one stalk. The flowers are densely crowded. The fruit are pale brown. Each fruit contains one seed.

There are 10 Roystonea species.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It is cold sensitive. It grows on savannas and cleared areas of limestone hills. It grows from sea level to 850 m altitude in the US Virgin Islands. In the Cairns Botanical Gardens. In Townsville palmetum. It suits hardiness zones 10-11.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia, Bahamas, Central America, Dominican Republic, Haiti (country/location of origin), Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, West Indies (country/location of origin)

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Cabbage, palm heart

How it is grown

Single palms can produce fertile seed. Fresh seed germinate in 1-4 months.

Its other names

Local names

Palma real, Palma caruta, Palmis, Palmiste

Synonyms

Oreodoxa borinquena O.F.Cook; Roystonea hispaniolana L.H.Bailey; Roystonea hispaniolana f. altissima Moscoso; Roystonea peregrina L.H.Bailey;