Roystonea borinquena
| Roystonea borinquena | |
|---|---|
_palmeiras_imperiais,_sao_paulo_botanical_garden_Arboretum_J_Botanico_Sao_Paulo_Brazil.jpg) |
|
|
Roystonea borinquena in São Paulo Botanical Garden, Brazil. Photo by Mauroguanandi |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| (unranked): | Commelinids |
| Order: | Arecales |
| Family: | Arecaceae |
| Genus: | Roystonea |
| Species: | R. borinquena |
| Binomial name | |
|
Roystonea borinquena O.F.Cook |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Oreodoxa borinquena (O.F.Cook) Reasoner ex L.H.Bailey |
|
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, sometimes known as the Puerto Rico royal palm, is a species of palm which is native to Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Roystonea borinquena is 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. Stems are smooth and grey-brown to cinnamon-brown, and range from 25–70 centimetres (10–28 in) in diameter. Leaves are 2.4–3.7 m (7.9–12.1 ft) long, with short petioles and leaf sheathes 1–3 m (3.3–9.8 ft) long which encircles the upper portion of the stem, forming a crownshaft. The 1–1.4 m (3.3–4.6 ft) inflorescences bear creamy yellow male and female flowers; the anthers of the male flowers are bright purple. 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.
Roystonea is placed in the subfamily Arecoideae and the tribe Roystoneae. The placement Roystonea within the Arecoideae is uncertain; a phylogeny based on plastid 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. borinquena and the rest of the genus is uncertain.
The species was first described by American botanist Orator F. Cook in 1901. For most of the 19th century, only two species of royal palms were generally recognised: 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 honour of American general Roy Stone) in 1900 be applied to the royal palms. The following year Cook described Roystonea borinquena.
...
Wikipedia