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Roystonea borinquena
Also called Puerto Rican Royal Palm, Royal Palm
A large, single-trunked palm native to Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, widely planted as a street and garden ornamental in the tropics. It needs full sun, a warm frost-free climate and room to grow.
Roystonea borinquena, commonly called the Puerto Rico royal palm (palma real puertorriqueña), is a species of palm which is native to Hispaniola (in both the Dominican Republic and Haiti), Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Roystonea borinquena is native to Hispaniola, Puerto Rico (including Vieques) and St. Croix, St. John and Tortola in the Virgin Islands. In Hispaniola, R. borinquena is found at elevations below 800 metres (2,600 ft) above sea level, except in the driest regions. In Puerto Rico it is found in areas below 300 m (1,000 ft) above sea level, that receive 1,250–2,500 millimetres (49–98 in) of rainfall.
Royal palms are popular ornamental plants due to their striking appearance; Roystonea borinquena is extensively planted as an ornamental in Puerto Rico. Its tolerance of air pollution, its ability to grow in a variety of soil types, and the fact that it roots do not damage sidewalks, increase its utility for landscaping and street planting. Its timber is occasionally used for construction but is susceptible to termite attack. Leaves are used as thatch and the leaf sheaths can be laid flat and used to make the sides of buildings. Trunk bark has historically been used as clapboards called tablas (de palma) or planche (de yagua) for siding in the bohío houses indigenous to Hispaniola and Cuba. The fruit are also fed to pigs and other livestock.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Roystonea borinquena by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
