Important Trees of Haiti

60 Palmis
markets as a cheaper substitute for corrugated
tin sheets. The sheaths also are
prepared for packing tobacco and
molasses sugar (rapadou) or for insulating
glass bottles. The leaf blades serve as
thatch for graineries, outdoor kitchens,
and field huts. The frond ribs are used as
fuel.
Propagation: The majority of seedlings
are volunteers that are left to grow wherever
they germinate. Seed dispersal is
aided significantly by transporting the
ripe seed to feed pigs and the almost continuous
availability of fruit to wild animals.
Very few seedlings are transplanted
once they have germinated, though it
is possible to transplant the tree even at
very large sizes. Next in importance are
those seedlings that are cultivated by
sowing the seed in selected areas of the
property. Very rarely is the tree propagated
from seed in containers, except as an
ornamental in the urban residential areas.
Figure 7.4 R. borinquena is typically used
for dry grain storage high and away from
rats.
Figure 7.5 A Roystonea grove provides an excellent site for an apiary, providing both
hives made from the trunks and a source of nectar and pollen from flowers.