Eden

Penang Botanic Gardens Plant Collection

Roystonea regia (Kunth) O.F.Cook (ARECACEAE)

Posted at — Nov 13, 2019
Royal Palm, Cuban Royal Palm, Florida Royal Palm

Description

Solitary feather-leafed palm to 30 m tall, 60 cm diameter, trunk light grey to white, slightly swollen on the upper parts of the trunk with enlarged base. Crown shaft green, with c. 15 leaves, roundish. Leaves 3.6 m long with c. 20 cm petiole; leaflets 60-120 cm long, irregularly spaced and held at different angles to the rachis. Inflorescence much branched below crown shaft, flowers cream. Fruits dull red to purplish when ripe, broadly ovoid, c. 1.2 cm long.


Distribution

Occurs naturally in Mexico to the Caribbean coasts, Honduras and Cuba.

Uses

Widely planted as a street tree, the leaves are sometimes use as thatch, palm cabbage edible.