''Roystonea oleracea'', sometimes known as the Caribbean royal palm, palmiste, imperial palm or cabbage palm, is a species of
palm
Palm most commonly refers to:
* Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand
* Palm plants, of family Arecaceae
**List of Arecaceae genera
* Several other plants known as "palm"
Palm or Palms may also refer to:
Music
* Palm (ba ...
which is native to the
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles ( es, link=no, Antillas Menores; french: link=no, Petites Antilles; pap, Antias Menor; nl, Kleine Antillen) are a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. Most of them are part of a long, partially volcanic island arc betwe ...
,
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
,
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
, and
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
. It is also reportedly naturalized in
Guyana
Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
and on the islands of
Mauritius
Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...
and
Réunion
Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...
in the
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...
.
Its
specific epithet
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...
''oleracea'' means "vegetable/herbal" in Latin and is a form of (). The plant's buds was eaten in the
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
.
Description
''Roystonea oleracea'' is a large palm which reaches heights of , with the record being not including the crownshaft or fronds.
Stems are grey
[ or whitish-grey.][ and range from in diameter.] The upper portion of the stem is encircled by leaf sheaths, forming a green portion known as the crownshaft
An elongated circumferential leaf base formation present on some species of palm is called a crownshaft.
The leaf bases of some pinnate leaved palms (most notable being ''Roystonea regia'' or the royal palm but also including the genera ''Areca' ...
which is normally about long.[ Individuals are reported to have 16–22][ or 20–22 leaves. Leaves are once-pinnate and consist of a long petiole and a ]rachis
In biology, a rachis (from the grc, ῥάχις [], "backbone, spine") is a main axis or "shaft".
In zoology and microbiology
In vertebrates, ''rachis'' can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this c ...
. The leaflets are attached to the rachis at various angles, giving the frond a bottlebrush-like appearance. The inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
bears white male and female flowers. Fruit are long and long, and turn purplish-black when ripe.[
]
Taxonomy
''Roystonea'' is placed in the subfamily
In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end subfamily botanical names with "-oideae", and zoologi ...
Arecoideae and the tribe
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...
Roystoneae. The placement ''Roystonea'' within the Arecoideae is uncertain; a phylogeny
A phylogenetic tree (also phylogeny or evolutionary tree Felsenstein J. (2004). ''Inferring Phylogenies'' Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, MA.) is a branching diagram or a tree showing the evolutionary relationships among various biological spec ...
based on plastid
The plastid (Greek: πλαστός; plastós: formed, molded – plural plastids) is a membrane-bound organelle found in the Cell (biology), cells of plants, algae, and some other eukaryotic organisms. They are considered to be intracellular endosy ...
DNA failed to resolve the position of the genus within the Arecoideae. As of 2008, there appear to be no molecular phylogenetic studies of ''Roystonea''[ and the relationship between ''R. oleracea'' and the rest of the genus is uncertain.
The species was first described by Nikolaus von Jacquin in 1763 as '']Areca
''Areca'' is a genus of 51 species of palms in the family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia and India, across Southeast Asia to Melanesia. The generic name ''Areca'' is derived from a name u ...
oleracea''. The epithet ''oleracea'' means "vegetable- or herb-like", and is used in botanical Latin for edible or cultivated plants (as in ''Brassica oleracea
''Brassica oleracea'' is a plant species from family Brassicaceae that includes many common cultivars used as vegetables, such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, Savoy cabbage, kohlrabi, and gai lan.
Its ...
'' or ''Portulaca oleracea
''Portulaca oleracea'' (common purslane, also known as little hogweed, or pursley) is an annual (actually tropical perennial in USDA growing zones 10–11) succulent in the family Portulacaceae.
Description
The plant may reach in height. It ...
''). In 1838, Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius
Carl Friedrich Philipp (Karl Friedrich Philipp) von Martius (17 April 1794 – 13 December 1868) was a German botanist and explorer.
Life
Martius was born at Erlangen, the son of Prof Ernst Wilhelm Martius, court apothecary.
He graduated PhD f ...
transferred it to the genus ''Oreodoxa'' as ''O. oleracea''. Berthold Carl Seemann
Berthold Carl Seemann (25 February 1825, in Hanover, Germany – 10 October 1871, in Nicaragua, Central America), was a German botanist. He travelled widely and collected and described plants from the Pacific and South America.
In 1844 he trav ...
transferred it to the genus ''Kentia'' in 1838.[ In 1900 Orator F. Cook proposed a new genus for the royal palms,] and moved this species from ''Oreodoxa'' to ''Roystonea'' the following year.
In 1825 Curt Polycarp Joachim Sprengel
Kurt Polycarp Joachim Sprengel (3 August 1766 – 15 March 1833) was a German botanist and physician who published an influential multivolume history of medicine, ''Versuch einer pragmatischen Geschichte der Arzneikunde'' (1792–99 in four vol ...
described ''Euterpe
Euterpe (; el, Εὐτέρπη, lit=rejoicing well' or 'delight , from grc, εὖ, eû, well + el, τέρπειν, térpein, to please) was one of the Muses in Greek mythology, presiding over music. In late Classical times, she was named muse ...
caribaea'', citing Jacquin's ''A. oleracea'' as a synonym. In 1903 Carl Lebrecht Udo Dammer
Carl Lebrecht Udo Dammer (born 8 January 1860 in Apolda, died 15 November 1920 in Großrambin near Kołobrzeg) was a German botanist. Dammer was also interested in entomology.
He was the son of Otto Dammer (1839–1916), an early advocate of the ...
and Ignatz Urban
Ignatz Urban (7 January 1848 – 7 January 1931) was a German botanist. He is known for his contributions to the flora of the Caribbean and Brazil, and for his work as curator of the Berlin Botanical Garden. Born the son of a brewer, Urban s ...
transferred this species to the genus ''Oreodoxa''. Percy Wilson moved it to ''Roystonea'' in 1917. Since Sprengel was aware of Jacquin's description, his name is superfluous.[ ]Liberty Hyde Bailey
Liberty Hyde Bailey (March 15, 1858 – December 25, 1954) was an American horticulturist and reformer of rural life. He was cofounder of the American Society for Horticultural Science.Makers of American Botany, Harry Baker Humphrey, Ronald Press ...
described ''Roystonea venezuelana'' in 1949 based on a collection by Julian Steyermark. In his 1996 monograph on the genus ''Roystonea'', Scott Zona
Scott Zona (born 1959) is an American botanist. From 1993 to 2008, he was the Palm Biologist at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. From 2008 to 2017, he served as the curator for the Florida International University Wertheim Conservatory. He is ...
reported that he was "unable to find any consistent morphological or molecular differences between the two taxa", and placed ''R. venezuelana'' in synonym with ''R. oleracea''.[
Based on cultivated plants at the botanical garden in Georgetown, ]Guyana
Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
(then British Guiana
British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies, which resides on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana.
The first European to encounter Guiana was S ...
), John Frederick Waby described ''Oreodoxa regia'' var. ''jenmanii'' in 1919. The distinguishing feature of this variety was the fact that it held its lowest leaves at a 45° angle above horizontal. In 1935 Bailey described ''R. oleracea'' var. ''excelsior'' based on specimens collected from the Georgetown Botanic Gardens. Hyde cited Waby's name as an unpublished synonym, apparently unaware that Waby's name was a valid, published name. In 1996 Zona coined a new combination, ''R. oleracea'' var. ''jenmannii'' to correct Hyde's mistake and update Waby's name. However, he noted that this variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
, which was only known from cultivation, did not differ from the typical in floral or fruit characters.[ ]Rafaël Govaerts
Rafaël Herman Anna Govaerts (born 1968) is a Belgian botanist. He is particularly noted for his work on plant taxonomy.
He has worked at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew since the 1990s, and is the principal contributor to the World Checklist of ...
merged the variety into synonym with the typical variety.[
]
Common names
''Roystonea oleracea'' is known as the palmiste in Trinidad and Tobago, the royal palm[ or cabbage palm in Barbados] and ''chaguaramo'' or ''maparó'' in Venezuela.[ In Colombia it is known as ''mapora'' in ]Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
, ''mapórbot'' in Jitnu and ''mapoloboto'' in Sikuani. It is also called the cabbage tree, palmetto royal, ''palmier franc'' and ''chou palmiste'', among other names.[
]
Distribution
''Roystonea oleracea'' is native to Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...
, Dominica
Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically ...
and Martinique
Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...
in the Lesser Antilles, Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...
, Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
, northern Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
and northeastern Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
. It is naturalised
Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the i ...
in Antigua
Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...
, Guyana
Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
, Suriname
Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...
and French Guiana
French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...
.[ It often grows in areas subject which are wet for at least part of the year—coastal areas near the sea, ]gallery forest
A gallery forest is one formed as a corridor along rivers or wetlands, projecting into landscapes that are otherwise only sparsely treed such as savannas, grasslands, or deserts. The gallery forest maintains a more temperate microclimate above th ...
s in seasonally flooded savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...
s.[
]
Ecology
''Roystonea oleracea'' fruit is an important component of the diet of orange-winged amazon
The orange-winged amazon (''Amazona amazonica''), also known locally as orange-winged parrot and loro guaro, is a large amazon parrot. It is a resident breeding bird in tropical South America, from Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago south to Peru, Bo ...
parrots and red-bellied macaw
The red-bellied macaw (''Orthopsittaca manilatus''), also known as ''Guacamaya Manilata'', is a medium-sized, mostly green South American parrot, a member of a group of large Neotropical parrots known as macaws. It is the largest of what are com ...
s in Nariva Swamp
The Nariva Swamp is the largest freshwater wetland in Trinidad and Tobago and has been designated a ''Wetland of International Importance'' under the Ramsar Convention. The swamp is located on the east coast of Trinidad, immediately inland from ...
, Trinidad and Tobago. Over the course of a study conducted between 1995 and 1996, ''R. oleracea'' fruit was an important element of the diet of both species between June and January, and was their dominant food item from July to November.
Uses
The tallest and "most majestic" royal palm, ''Roystonea oleracea'' is often used as an ornamental.[ The wood can be used for construction. The terminal bud is edible. The sap of young ]inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
s can be fermented to produce alcohol. In his 1750 ''Natural History of Barbados'' Griffith Hughes reported that the immature inflorescences could be pickled and eaten as a vegetable.[
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q141233
oleracea
Trees of Barbados
Trees of Dominica
Trees of Guadeloupe
Trees of Guyana
Trees of Martinique
Trees of Trinidad and Tobago
Trees of Venezuela
Flora of Mauritius
Trees of Réunion
Trees of the Windward Islands
Trees of the Leeward Islands
Palms of French Guiana
Least concern plants
Plants described in 1901
Least concern biota of South America
Garden plants of South America
Ornamental trees