Oreodoxa regia Kunth Oenocarpus regius (Kunth) Spreng. Palma elata W.Bartram Roystonea floridana O.F.Cook Euterpe jenmanii C.H.Wright Euterpe ventricosa C.H.Wright Roystonea jenmanii (C.H.Wright) Burret Roystonea elata (W.Bartram) F.Harper Roystonea ventricosa (C.H.Wright) L.H.Bailey Roystonea regia var. hondurensis P.H.Allen[1]
Roystonea regia, commonly known as the Cuban royal palm, Florida royal palm, or simply the royal palm is a species of palm which is native to South Florida, Mexico and part of Central America and the northern Caribbean. Although it ranged into central Florida in the eighteenth century, for some unknown reason in modern times it is only known from tropical parts of south Florida. A large and attractive palm, it has been planted throughout the tropics and subtropics as an ornamental tree. Although it is sometimes called R. elata, the name R. regia is preferred, as it is now a conserved name.
Although it is best known as an ornamental, R. regia is also used as a source of thatch, construction timber, and as a medicinal plant. The fruit is eaten by birds and bats (which disperse the seeds) and fed to livestock. Its flowers are visited by birds and bats, and it serves as a roosting site and food source for a variety of animals. Roystonea regia is the national tree of Cuba,[2] and has religious significance both in Santería and Christianity, where it is used in Palm Sunday observances.
Contents |
|
