por What is the royal palm?
The Royal Palm (Roystonea regia) It is a species of palm belonging to the Arecaceae family, frequently used as an ornament. Known as the Cuban royal palm, royal palm, Cuban royal palm, or criolla palm, it is native to the Caribbean, being the national tree of Cuba.
The adult palms reach a length of 40 meters and a diameter of 50-60 cm, as long as the edaphoclimatic conditions are favourable. The species is characterized by its smooth straight trunk of intense green color thickened at the base to the middle level.
The crown is crowned by a tuft of large pinnate leaves, formed by numerous green and shiny leaflets with bifid apex. The branched inflorescences sprout from the base of the capital with small whitish flowers in groups of three, one female and two male.
The 1.2 cm thick globular fruits contain high levels of fat and starch, and are used as animal feed. The tender heart of the stipe of the palm is edible and is used in traditional cooking under the name of heart of palm.
In the Caribbean islands, mainly in Cuba, the royal palm is a sacred tree for local religions of African origin. This palm bears the name of alabbi in Yoruba, and represents the lightning or god Changó, who receives the offerings at the foot of the palm.
Characteristics of the royal palm
Roystonea regia It is a monoecious palm with a straight trunk, which can reach 15-40 m in height and up to 60 cm in thickness. The stem is columnar in appearance, broadened at the base and rough, thin and smooth, of a bright green color.
The root system is composed of two types of roots; primary roots and adventitious roots. The primary roots appear in the first stages of the plant, later they disappear. The numerous permanent adventitious roots have the function of anchoring and feeding.
The pinnate leaves, 4-6 m long, have leaflets scattered along the rachis and arranged in a terminal tuft. The leaves have a broad sheathing petiole that covers the stem. The numerous leaflets with forked apex are glossy dark green.
The sessile flowers are white and aromatic, lanceolate in appearance, with numerous stamens and the same number (5) of internal and external tepals. The inflorescences present a branched spadix that arises at the base of the capital, which open covered by a spathe of equal length.
The fruit called royal palm nut is an elongated berry 1.2 mm long and red-purple tones. This species is propagated by seeds that, under suitable conditions, take two months to germinate.
taxonomy
Kingdom: Plantae.
Division: Angiospermae.
Class: Liliopsida.
Subclass: Arecidae.
Order: Arecales.
Family: Arecaceae.
Subfamily: Arecoideae.
Tribe: Areceae.
Gender: Roystonea.
Species: Roystonea regia (Kunth) OF Cook.
Roystonea regia was registered by (Kunth) OF Cook and published in Science 12(300): 479. 1900.
Etymology
generic name Roystonea It is designated in honor of the North American General Roy Stone (1836-1905), a member of the North American Army in Puerto Rico. As for the adjective regal, It comes from the Latin regius-a-um, which means «royal, magnificent» for its slender demeanor.
Synonymy
Euterpe ventricosa CH Wright.
oreodoxa regia Kunth.
elata palm W.Bartram.
Roystonea elata (W. Bartram) F. Harper.
roystonea floridana OF Cook.
Habitat and distribution
The royal palm is native to the Caribbean region, south to Florida, the Bahamas, Belize, and Cuba, as well as Honduras, the Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, and some regions of Mexico.
Today it is found throughout the intertropical zones and has adapted to various tropical conditions. In Cuba it is located in fertile and humid mountainous areas, abundant as secondary vegetation and sometimes as a remnant of semi-deciduous forests.
Following the traditional Cuban practice, in other countries it is planted along the sugarcane plantations, delimiting the interior roads and the plots in order to guide and distinguish each batch of crops from a distance.
It is a fast-growing species on loose, fertile soils with abundant moisture, although it can tolerate seasonal droughts. It develops in full sun exposure, it is resistant to strong winds and salinity, but susceptible to frost.
Applications
One of the main uses of the royal palm is ornamental, in avenues, sidewalks, squares, roundabouts, parks and gardens. The dry trunks and the leaves or stalks are used to make “bohíos” or rural dwellings.
The spathes that cover the inflorescences are used in the field as baskets called catauros.
The leaf sheaths called yaguas are used to cover the huts or to wrap the Cuban tobacco leaves cured in thirds.
The fruit or royal palm nut is used as feed for pigs, and the abundant flowering is a source of food for honey species.
Lhe dry leaves are used as rustic brooms to sweep patios and corrals.
In Cuba, the tender hearts of the palm (heart of palm) are used for human consumption due to their high nutritional content. In addition, the royal palm nut has a high oil content that is used to make artisan soap.
The decoctions or infusions of the royal palm root are used as a diuretic and emollient. It is also recommended for the treatment of diabetes and to facilitate the expulsion of stones from the urinary tract.
care
The Roystonea regia It is a palm tree that is grown in full sun exposure on loose, sandy, deep soils with good drainage. In fact, it is a fast-growing species that requires tropical climates, but it does not support temperatures below 8º C.
In the nursery, the seeds are sown in mid-spring on a substrate with a high content of organic matter and sand. Irrigation must be continuous until the emergence of the seedlings, which occurs two months after sowing.
In the field, the seedlings are transplanted into loose, fertile, deep and well-drained soils. It is a drought resistant plant, but requires regular watering during the summer or dry season.
It responds very well to mineral fertilization during the cool months and to the regular application of compost at the beginning of the rains. Indeed, it is a resistant plant with little incidence of pests and diseases, however, it requires pruning the dry leaves.
References
Palm cultivation. Recovered from infoagro.com.
The elegant and easy-to-grow Cuban royal palm: Roystonea regia. Recovered from riomoros.com.
Roystonea regia. Retrieved from es.wikipedia.org.
Roystonea regia. Retrieved from catalogofloravalleaburra.eia.edu.co.