Roystonea borinquena

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Roystonea borinquena
Roystonea borinquena in São Paulo Botanical Garden, Brazil
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Genus: Roystonea
Species:
R. borinquena
Binomial name
Roystonea borinquena
Synonyms[1]

Oreodoxa borinquena (O.F.Cook)

Reasoner ex L.H.Bailey

Roystonea hispaniolana L.H.Bailey
Roystonea hispaniolana f. altissima Moscoso
Roystonea peregrina L.H.Bailey

Roystonea borinquena, commonly called the Puerto Rico royal palm[2] (Spanish: palma real puertorriqueña), is a species of palm which is native to Hispaniola (in both the Dominican Republic and Haiti), Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

Description

Roystonea borinquena is a large palm which usually reaches a height of 12 to 18 metres (40 to 60 ft), but individuals 26.4 m (87 ft) have been recorded.

anthers of the male flowers are bright purple.[4] The fruit is single-seeded, about 13 millimetres (0.5 in) long and 10 mm (0.4 in) wide. The greenish-yellow immature fruit turn brownish-purple as they ripen.[3]

Taxonomy

Roystonea is placed in the

phylogeny based on plastid DNA failed to resolve the position of the genus within the Arecoideae.[6] As of 2008, there appeared to be no molecular phylogenetic studies of Roystonea[5]
and the relationship between R. borinquena and the rest of the genus is uncertain.

The species was first described by

American botanist Orator F. Cook in 1901.[7] For most of the 19th century, only two species of royal palms were generally recognized: Greater Antillean royal palms were considered Oreodoxa regia (now Roystonea regia), while Lesser Antillean ones were considered O. oleracea (R. oleracea). Due to problems with the way that the genus Oreodoxa had been applied by taxonomists, Cook proposed that the name Roystonea (in honor of American general Roy Stone) in 1900[8] be applied to the royal palms. The following year Cook described Roystonea borinquena.[7]

Common names

Roystonea borinquena is known as the "mountain-cabbage", "Puerto Rico royal palm" or simply "royal palm" in English,[3] palmiste in Haiti,[4] palma real puertorriqueña,[9] manacla, palma caruta, palma de cerdos, palma de grana, palma de yagua, palma real, yagua and other names in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.[4]

Reproduction and growth

Young Roystonea borinquena trees may begin flowering when they are about seven years old, and they flower throughout the year. The flowers of Roystonea borinquena produce nectar and are visited by honey bees;[3] and are thought to be insect-pollinated.[4] Flowering individuals bear an average of 3.2 inflorescences per tree, and produce 6–12,000 fruit per inflorescence. Seeds germinate after 50–100 days. After six months, seedlings in full sunlight can reach a height of 30 centimetres (12 in); young trees can grow an average of 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) per year.[3]

Distribution

Roystonea borinquena is native to

above sea level, except in the driest regions.[4] In Puerto Rico it is found in areas below 300 m (1,000 ft) above sea level,[9] that receive 1,250–2,500 millimetres (49–98 in) of rainfall.[3]

Ecology

Roystonea borinquena fruit are a fat-rich food source for birds.[3] White-crowned pigeons (Patagioenas leucocephala) have been reported to disperse the seeds of the species.[4] The Critically Endangered Ridgway's hawk (Buteo ridgwayi), endemic to Hispaniola, favours R. borinquena when nesting.[10] Palmchats (Dulus dominicus), another Hispaniolan endemic, favour the tree when building their large communal nests.[11]

Uses

Royal palms are popular

thatch and the leaf sheaths can be laid flat and used to make the sides of buildings.[3] Trunk bark has historically been used as clapboards called tablas (de palma) or planche (de yagua) for siding in the bohío houses indigenous to Hispaniola and Cuba.[12] The fruit are also fed to pigs[4] and other livestock.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Roystonea borinquena". Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Retrieved 2009-01-08.
  2. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Roystonea borinquena". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Connor, K.F.; J.K. Francis (2002). "Roystonea borinquena (Kunth) O.F. Cook". In J.A. Vozzo (ed.). Tropical tree seed manual. Washington, DC: USDA Forest Service Agriculture Handbook 721. pp. 698–700.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Zona, Scott (December 1996). "Roystonea (Arecaceae: Arecoideae)". Flora Neotropica. 71: 1–35.
  5. ^
    S2CID 40119059
    .
  6. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.2006.00521.x
    .
  7. ^
    JSTOR 2478709
    .
  8. PMID 17750859
    .
  9. ^ a b c Proctor, G.R. (2005). "Arecaceae (Palmae)" (PDF). In Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro; Strong, Mark T (eds.). Monocots and Gymnosperms of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Contributions of the United States National Herbarium. Vol. 52. p. 147.
  10. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22695886A181707428.en
    . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  11. ^ "Palmchats (Dulidae) | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  12. ISBN 0-8071-2764-7
    .
  13. ISBN 0-691-08537-4
    .
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Roystonea_borinquena&oldid=1219881663"