Roystonea altissima
| Roystonea altissima | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Roystonea altissima | ||||||||||||
| ( Mill. ) HEMoore |
Roystonea altissima is only Jamaica occurring palm in the genus Roystonea .
features
The trunks of Roystonea altissima are smooth, gray-brown, up to 20 m high and have a diameter of 25.5 to 35 cm. The crown consists of around 15 pinnate leaves , with the lowest leaves hanging clearly downwards. The crown shaft is 1.4 to 1.6 m long. The leaf hachis is around 4 m long. The middle leaflets are 60 to 79 cm long and 3.2 to 3.9 cm wide.
The inflorescence is around 1.2 m long and 1 m wide. Its cover sheet is 30.5 to 40 cm long and 6.5 to 13.5 cm wide. The spathe is around 1 m long and widest in the middle. Its end is pointed. The side branches of the inflorescence are 15 to 34 cm long and 1.3 to 2.6 mm in diameter.
The male flowers are purple, darkest at the base of the petals and stamens . The sepals are triangular, 0.9 mm long and 1 to 1.5 mm wide. The petals are elliptical, 3.6 to 5.9 mm long and 2.1 to 2.5 mm wide. The six stamens are 2.7 to 4.8 mm long, the stamens are awl-shaped and 1.9 to 3.8 mm long. The anthers are 2.3 to 3.7 mm long. The rudiment of ovaries is very small.
The female flowers are purple. They sepals are kidney-shaped, 0.9 to 1.4 mm long and 2.5 to 3.2 mm wide. The petals are oval, 2.7 to 3.4 mm long. The staminodium is shallow six-lobed, 1.7 to 2.5 mm long, free for 0.6 to 0.9 mm. The stamp is 1.7 to 1.8 mm long and 1.5 to 2 mm in diameter.
The fruits are obovate and protruding. They are 11.4 to 15.3 mm long. Their dorsiventral thickness is 7.2 to 10.4 mm, their width 6.7 to 10.3 mm. The exocarp is black. The endocarp is ellipsoidal and 11.8 to 13.8 mm long. Its dorsiventral thickness is 7.7 to 8.7 mm, the width 6.8 to 8 mm. The seed is ellipsoidal, 9.3 to 10.7 mm long, dorsiventrally 5.6 to 6.8 mm thick and 6.5 to 7.3 mm wide. The raphe is circular. The primary leaf is linear-lanceolate. The basic chromosome number is n = 18.
distribution
The species is endemic to Jamaica . It grows in the limestone hills and mountains up to 760 m above sea level. It is quite common in the interior of the island.
use
The leaves and leaf sheaths are used for roofing and as wrapping material. The inflorescence is used as a broom.
supporting documents
- Scott Zona: Roystonea (Arecaceae: Arecoideae) . Flora Neotropica, Vol. 71, 1996, pp. 1-35. (JSTOR)