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Roystonea regia

(Kunth) O.F.Cook (1900)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Monocots Order: Arecales Family: Arecaceae Genus: Roystonea

cabbage palm, caribbee royal palm, cuban palm, cuban royal palm, royal palm

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Unbranched tree, unarmed.

Stems: Stems gray-white, 30 m, diam. 35–41 cm, smooth.

Roots: Roots fibrous.

Leaves: Leaves simple but appearing pinnately compound due to secondary splitting of the blade. Spirally arranged. Leaf segments inserted on rachis in several ranks at divergent angles, giving the leaves an almost plumose appearance. Segments linear-lanceolate. Petioles unarmed. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Inflorescences to 1 m; rachillae 11–31 cm, stiff. Flowers unisexual, sessile, in triads of 1 pistillate flower flanked by 2 staminate flowers. Staminate flowers: sepals 3, imbricate, membranaceous; petals 3, valvate; stamens 6(–10, rarely); anthers dorsifixed, often twisting upon drying; pistillode minute, obscurely 3-cleft. Pistillate flowers globose to conic; sepals 3, imbricate; petals 3, basally connate, distally valvate; staminodes 6, basally connate, adnate to corolla basally; pistil 1; ovules 1; style indistinct; stigmas 3. Flowers white; anthers pinkish.

Fruit: Fruits ripening from green through red to purplish black at maturity; dorsiventrally compressed obovoid; 9.5–10.5 mm; diam. 7.4–7.8 mm. Seeds 1; nearly globose [obovoid]; dorsiventrally compressed; abaxially attached to endocarp; endosperm homogeneous; embryo basal; eophyll undivided; linear-lanceolate.

Ploidy: 2n = 36

Habitat:

Elevation Range:

Historical Distribution

Images

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Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

O'ahu Naturalized

Dispersal Agents

Birds

Pollinators

Bibliography

Name Published In: Science, ser. 2, 12: 479 (1900)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:1361 (O? [as R. elata & R. regia, possibly sparingly nat. in Kalihi and Nu‘uanu Valleys, and in Kāne‘ohe]); Staples & Herbst 2005:628 (DESCR); Frohlich & Lau 2007:9 (NEWNAT/O); Acevedo-Rodríguez & Strong 2012:80 (Syn. R. elata = R. regia)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Roystonea regia Bishop Museum Preserved_Specimen Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1937-04-01
2 Roystonea regia Bishop Museum Preserved_Specimen Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1937-04-01
3 Roystonea regia Waimanalo Fencerow between garden and adjacent vacant lot; mature palms grow in fence row; seedlings and juveniles come up by thousands down-slope from the mature trees. Preserved_Specimen Ripe fruits purplish, seeds tan, and seedlings gathered from ground beneath row of mature trees. Staples, G.W. 1234 Oahu BISH 2006-08-26
4 Roystonea regia Waimanalo Fencerow between garden and adjacent vacant lot; ca 6 mature palms grow in fence row. Preserved_Specimen Seedlings collected from garden, 10 to 50 ft away from mature trees (Staples 1235); smallest have single eophyll and larger ones have first pinnate leaf. Staples, G.W. 1236 Oahu BISH 2006-08-28
5 Roystonea regia Waihee Valley Growing between Ficus roots in Pandanus-dominated area. Preserved_Specimen Tree seedling ~3.5 ft. tall. No flowers or fruits. OED Oahu BISH 2007-05-14
6 Roystonea regia Waimanalo Fencerow between garden and adjacent vacant lot; ca 6 mature palms grow in fence row. Preserved_Specimen Palm ca 45 ft tall; trunk single, gray, smooth; crown shaft bright green; fronds ca 12-15 ft long, drooping and almost covering crown shaft, leaflets pinnate, in many planes; lowest inflorescence cut down, first 3 basal-most secondary branches collected; fruit green. Staples, G.W. 1235 Oahu BISH 2006-08-26
7 Roystonea regia Waimanalo Fencerow between garden and adjacent vacant lot; ca 6 mature palms grow in fence row. Preserved_Specimen Palm ca 45 ft tall; trunk single, gray, smooth; crown shaft bright green; fronds ca 12-15 ft long, drooping and almost covering crown shaft, leaflets pinnate, in many planes; lowest inflorescence cut down, first 3 basal-most secondary branches collected; fruit green. Staples, G.W. 1235 Oahu BISH 2006-08-26
8 Roystonea regia Honolulu, Makiki base yard, 500 m N of Kaneolole trailhead Disturbed mesic forest, heavy shade Preserved_Specimen tree to 25 m; pinnae in different planes; 2-3 ribs Ray, G. 71 Oahu BISH 1998-01-21
9 Roystonea regia Bishop Museum Preserved_Specimen Fls & Frt. Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1943-04-14
10 Roystonea regia Bishop Museum. W side neares gate Preserved_Specimen Spadix close, width & length equal. Frt 12 x 8 mm. Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1950-08-05
11 Roystonea regia Bishop Museum Preserved_Specimen Fls & Frt. Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1943-04-14
12 Roystonea regia Bishop Museum. W side neares gate Preserved_Specimen Spadix close, width & length equal. Frt 12 x 8 mm. Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1950-08-05
13 Roystonea regia Honolulu - University of Hawaii Preserved_Specimen Royal Palm Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1951-02-05
14 Roystonea regia Honolulu Capitol grounds at YWCA entrance Preserved_Specimen seeds 8 x 6 mm Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1952-07-21
15 Roystonea regia Honolulu -by Kamehameha Statue, near post office Preserved_Specimen Fl cream, anthers cream, filaments white, stamens 6-10 (in lit :: = 6 stamens) + fls & seeds 8 x 6 mm Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1951-02-02
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