Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

PALM FAMILY (PALMAE)
9. Palma real, royalpalm, Puerto Rico royalpalm Rogstonea borinquena 0. F. Cook
Puerto Rico royalpalm or palma real is one of tubular corolla l/g inch long with 3 pointed lobes
Puerto Rico's most characteristic trees, being a and bearing 6 short sterile stamens (staminodes)
conspicuous feature of the countrysides and land- inside; and pistil of ellom-Peen rounded ovary
scapes and equally at home along city streets. with 3 short styles anc f stigmas on 1 side.
Icnown to all, it is characterized by : (1) the stout The numerous fruits contain 1 light brown elliperect
trunk 1-2 feet in diameter, sliglltly enlarged tic seed 5/16 inch long, hard but oily. Flowering
and bulging at some distance above the bnse; (2) and fruiting erhaps through the year.
a light green narrow column of leaf shenths.abont Palma ren! is n. stately ornamental widely
4 feet high at apex of trunk; (3) large pinnate planted to benutify st,reets, parks, and gardens
lenves with short petiole nbove sheath and blade throughout Puerto Rico. Boards hewn from the
8-12 feet lon composed of many narrow paired harder outer part of the trunks are widely used
segments, ancfthe unfolded youngest leaf project- for siding and flooring in rural construction.
ing as a narrow spire above the others; (4) small Ho~vever, they are very susceptible to attack by
whitish flowers, male and female, borne in a spread- dry-~~ood termites. The leaves are also used freing
to droopin twice-branched cluster 3-5 feet quently in construction, less now t11an formerly.
long below the y eaves; and (5) light brown, ellip- Fred1 lenves are widely displayed locally for retic,
slightly fleshy fruits about 1/2 inch long. ligio~~s services on Palill Sunday. The dry blades
This large robust palm becomes 30-60 feet tall. serve as t11:ltch for roofs of barns and houses, and
The gray smoothish trunk usually has a broad the broad sheaths, known as ~ g y s are , spread
base, then is slightly narrowed and swollen for o ~ flat t to make sides of buil ings The twisted
some distance above, and in tall specimens nar- young leaf segments are woven into chair seats
rowed again toward the apex. There are faint :uld backs. An important honey plant, the flowers
rings of leaf scars at nodes. The evergreen crown t~tt.r:lct nurnerous bees. The fruits are a good food
is com osed of 15 or fewer long, gracefully curved, for hogs.
sprea B ing alternate leaves. The unfolded young- P:llma real is common in forests! pastures, and
est leaf us~~all leans slightly toward the east, the river banlrs almost throughout the island from the
direction of t r le prevailing wind, and thus serves met north flank of El Yunque to the coastal manto
indicate the directions.
groves and the dry valleys near Gulinica. It is
The leaf blade has numerous leaflets or segments fo~md in a11 but the u per mountains and the dry
20-36 inches lon and only 3/4-1% inches wide, limestone regions. 8hese ptdms probably have
long- ointed, lent
B
f lery, parallel-reined, green, in- become more conlmon follominf settlenlent,
serte on both sides of axis obliquely by 2's and in spreading in clearings,. pastures, o d fields, and
2 ronTs on each side, and usually curving downward fence ro\~-s. Also in Vieques and St. Croix.
rather than flat. Upon dying, the oldest leaf falls PU~LIC ~0~~3~a.-Aguirre, Cambalache, Carite,
off promptly, separating smoothly from the trunk Gu:ajntaca, Gudnica, Luquillo, 31arica0, San Juan,
at bnse of sheath.
Susiia, Vega.
The flower cluster panicle) arises below the leaf RANGE.-Restricted to Puerto Rico, Vieques,
sheaths from a very \ arge narrow bud formed by and St. Croix. Introduced at Mona.
a dark brown boat-shaped sheath (spathe) 3-5 OTHER COJI3ION SAJZES.-P~~~B d!.? yaflas,
feet long. Lateral branches 6-12 inches long from pnlina de costa (Puerto Rico) ; mountain-cabbage
main branches 3 feet or more in length bear many (St. Crois) ; Puerto Rico royalpalm, royalpalm
stalkless flowers, male flowers opening and falling (Englisll) .
first, and toward base the female flower buds, gen- The generic name honors General Roy Stone
erally 1 between 2 male flowers (monoecio~~s). (1835-l905), United States Army Engineer, who
Male flowers more than 1/4 inch high and nearly 1/2 rende~*ecl outstanding service to Puerto Rico at.
inch across consist of 3 minute rounded whitish the time of the Spanish-American War. Cuban
sepals less than x6 inch long, 3 blunt,-pointed roy:tlpalm (Roystonea regiu (H. B. IC.) 0. I?.
whitish petals inch long, 6-9 spreading stamens Cook*), a related species from Cuba with tall
with purple nnthers, and ruclimentary pistil. The trunk not swollen, has been planted also in Puerto
smaller female flo\vers l/g inch long and broad Riro :tncl the Virgin Islands and may .have eshare
3 broad wllitish sepals less than '/16 inch long; caped locally.