Roystonea princeps
Encyclopedia
Roystonea princeps, commonly known as Morass cabbage palm or Morass royal palm is a species of palm
which is endemic to western Jamaica
.
which is normally about 1.8 m (5.9 ft) long. Individuals have about 15 leaves with 4 metres (13.1 ft) rachis
es. The 1.3 m (4.3 ft) inflorescence
s bear creamy yellow male and female flowers; the anthers of the male flowers are purplish. Fruit are 12.2–16.7 mm (0.480314960629921–0.65748031496063 ) long and 8.4 millimetre wide, and are purplish-black when ripe.
royal palms were considered Oreodoxa regia (now Roystonea regia
), while Lesser Antillean
ones were considered O. oleracea (R. oleracea
). Several new species were recognised early in the 20th century, among them a Jamaican species that was named Oreodoxa princeps by Italian botanist Odoardo Beccari
in 1912. Due to problems with the way that the genus Oreodoxa had been applied by taxonomists, American
botanist Orator F. Cook
had proposed that the name Roystonea
(in honour of American general Roy Stone
) be applied to the royal palms. In 1929 German
botanist Max Burret
transferred O. princeps to the genus Roystonea.
grew 20 to 26 cm (7.9 to 10.2 ) per year.
of St. Elizabeth
and Westmoreland
, in wetlands around Black River
and Negril
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
which is endemic to western Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
.
Description
Roystonea princeps is a large palm which reaches heights of 20 metres (66 ft). Stems are grey-white and range from 27.5–42 cm (10.8–16.5 ) in diameter. The upper portion of the stem is encircled by leaf sheaths, forming a green portion known as the crownshaftCrownshaft
An elongated circumferential leaf base formation present on some species of palm is called a crownshaft.The leaf bases of some pinnate leaved palms form a sheath at the top of the trunk surrounding the bud where all the subsequent leaves are formed.The crownshaft...
which is normally about 1.8 m (5.9 ft) long. Individuals have about 15 leaves with 4 metres (13.1 ft) rachis
Rachis
Rachis is a biological term for a main axis or "shaft".-In zoology:In vertebrates a rachis can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this case the rachis usually form the supporting axis of the body and is then called the spine or vertebral column...
es. The 1.3 m (4.3 ft) inflorescence
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. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s bear creamy yellow male and female flowers; the anthers of the male flowers are purplish. Fruit are 12.2–16.7 mm (0.480314960629921–0.65748031496063 ) long and 8.4 millimetre wide, and are purplish-black when ripe.
Taxonomy
For most of the 19th century, only two species of royal palms were generally recognised: Greater AntilleanGreater Antilles
The Greater Antilles are one of three island groups in the Caribbean. Comprising Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico, the Greater Antilles constitute almost 90% of the land mass of the entire West Indies.-Greater Antilles in context :The islands of the Caribbean Sea, collectively known as...
royal palms were considered Oreodoxa regia (now Roystonea regia
Roystonea regia
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 southern Florida, Mexico and parts of Central America and the northern Caribbean. It ranged into central Florida in the eighteenth century but in modern...
), while Lesser Antillean
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles are a long, partly volcanic island arc in the Western Hemisphere. Most of its islands form the eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, with the remainder located in the southern Caribbean just north of South America...
ones were considered O. oleracea (R. oleracea
Roystonea oleracea
Roystonea oleracea, sometimes known as the Caribbean Royal Palm, palmiste, Imperial palm or cabbage palm, is a species of palm which is native to the Lesser Antilles, northern South America and Trinidad and Tobago.-Description:...
). Several new species were recognised early in the 20th century, among them a Jamaican species that was named Oreodoxa princeps by Italian botanist Odoardo Beccari
Odoardo Beccari
Odoardo Beccari was an Italian naturalist perhaps best known for discovering the titan arum, the plant with the largest unbranched inflorescence in the world, in Sumatra in 1878...
in 1912. Due to problems with the way that the genus Oreodoxa had been applied by taxonomists, American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
botanist Orator F. Cook
Orator F. Cook
Orator Fuller Cook was an American botanist, entomologist, and agronomist. Cook, born in Clyde, New York in 1867, graduated from Syracuse University in 1890. He worked for one year as an instructor at Syracuse. In 1891 Cook became a special agent of the New York State Colonization Society. He...
had proposed that the name Roystonea
Roystonea
Roystonea is a genus of eleven species of monoecious palms, native to the Caribbean Islands, and the adjacent coasts of Florida, Central and South America. Commonly known as the royal palms, the genus was named for Roy Stone, a U.S. Army engineer...
(in honour of American general Roy Stone
Roy Stone
Roy Stone was a Union Army general during the American Civil War. He is most noted for his stubborn defense of the McPherson Farm during the Battle of Gettysburg.-Early life and family:...
) be applied to the royal palms. In 1929 German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
botanist Max Burret
Max Burret
Karl Ewald Maximilian Burret, commonly known as Max Burret was a German botanist.Burret was born in Saffig near Andernach in the Prussian Rhine Province. He originally studied law at Lausanne and Munich at the instigation of his father...
transferred O. princeps to the genus Roystonea.
Common names
Roystonea princeps is known as the "Morass cabbage palm", "Morass royal palm" "swamp cabbage" or simply "royal palm".Reproduction and growth
Thirty-four to 36-year-old individuals grown in cultivation at Fairchild Tropical Garden in FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
grew 20 to 26 cm (7.9 to 10.2 ) per year.
Distribution
Roystonea princeps is endemic to the western Jamaican parishesParishes of Jamaica
Administratively, Jamaica is divided into fourteen parishes. They are grouped into three historic counties, which have no administrative relevance :...
of St. Elizabeth
Saint Elizabeth Parish, Jamaica
St. Elizabeth, one of Jamaica's largest parishes, is located in the southwest of the island, in the county of Cornwall. Its capital, Black River, is located at the mouth of the Black River, the longest on the island.-History:...
and Westmoreland
Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica
Westmoreland is the westernmost parish in Jamaica, located on the south side of the island. It is situated to the south of Hanover, the southwest of Saint James, and the northwest of Saint Elizabeth, in the county of Cornwall. The chief town and capital is Savanna-la-Mar...
, in wetlands around Black River
Black River, Jamaica
Black River is the capital of St. Elizabeth Parish, in southwestern Jamaica. It sits at the mouth of the river of the same name. Once a thriving sugar port, it is today a centre of environmental tourism and a gateway to the Treasure Beach resort area; Treasure Beach and Crane Beach are to the...
and Negril
Negril
Negril is a small but widely dispersed beach resort town located across parts of two Jamaican parishes of Westmoreland and Hanover. Westmoreland is the westernmost parish in Jamaica, located on the south side of the island...