Bwa-yo - Société Audubon Haiti

7 Palmis
Species: Roystonea borinquena O. F. Cook
Synonyms: Oreodoxa borinquena (O.F. Cook) Reasoner ex L.H. Bailey, Roystonea hispaniolana
Bailey, R. hispaniolana f. altissima Moscoso, R. peregrina L. H. Bailey
Family: Arecaceae (=Palmae)
Common Names: H - palmiste (palmis), palmier royale; RD - palma, palma deyagua,
palma real; US - Hispaniolan royal palm, Puerto· Rico royal palm, royal palm.
Importance: This is one ofthe most useful trees in the moist lowlands of Haiti, providing
a source of food for pigs, fiber for weaving and thatch, and construction material.
Nearly every part ofR. borinquena can be utilized for domestic purposes or for sale
in the market. The stately tree is a symbol ofpatrimony, and is positioned in the center
of the Haitian flag (Fig. 7.1 inset).
Taxonomy and Botanical Features: The genus is native to the Caribbean, and is named
in honor of General Roy Stone (1835-1905), who served in Puerto Rico during the
Spanish-American War. Bailey and Moore (1949) recognized 12 species, though there
may be fewer than this when a revision of the genus is completed (Henderson et al.
1990). The center ofdiversity for the genus is recognized as eastern Cuba (Zona, 1993).
R. borinquena and R. hispaniolana, though often reported as distinct species, may
be considered synonyms (S. Zona, personal communication). The palm is recognized
by a smoothgray and solitary trunk up to 0.5 m diameter that is slightly swollen at midheight;
a light green column ofleaf sheaths about 1.5 m high between the trunk and the
crown of large pinnate leaves; leafblades about 2.5- 3.5 m long, with many paired pinnae
0.4-0.6 m long, the youngest unfolded leafprojecting as a spire from the middle of
the crown; male and female flower clusters at the base of the leaf sheaths; and light
brown, slightly fleshy, elliptical fruits approximately 1 cm in diameter.
Distribution and Ecology: R. borinquena occurs in Puerto Rico, Vieques, St. Croix
(Little and Wadsworth, 1964) and throughout the island of Hispaniola, from below sea
level near Lake Enriquillo to about 1000 m elevation (Zanoni, 1991). It is found most
frequently in the lower mountain areas beginning at 150 m, preferring the moist to wet
forest regions that receive 1000-2000 mm annual rainfall. It does not occur in the dry
limestone regions except near water .sources. The tree is abundant in the upper
Artibonite watershed (Fig. 7.2). In one study of the courtyard gardens around
Lascahobas, royal palm was the most common species, including all size classes, and
ranked third behind mango and avocado in the number of mature trees over 25 cm stem
diameter (Campbell, 1994). Though a dominant tree of the upper canopy layer in the
gardens near rural residences, most ofthe population is distributed in favor ofthe juvenile-size
classes that are not considered mature for timber harvest. The species is dispersed
largely by farmers who harvest the fruit to feed pigs, but also by· birds and
rodents.
Tree Characteristics: Mature palms reach 20 m tall with crown diameters approaching
5 ill (Fig. 7.3). The grayish smooth trunk has a slightly broad base that narrows
before swelling some distance above. The evergreen crown has more than a dozen
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