Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets Roystonea regia - Cuban Royal Palm, Florida Royal Palm

Edible Portion: Cabbage, Fruit, Palm Heart, Vegetable

An single stemmed, evergreen palm. It grows to 30 m high and spreads 5-10 m wide. The stem is erect and smooth. It is white. It is stout and unbranched. The trunk is usually thickened near the base and in the middle before thinning towards the top. The trunk can be 0.5-0.6 m across. It has ring like markings. The leaves are divided along the stalk. The leaves are 6 m long and the leaflets are long and narrow. They are arranged in several ranks. The base sheaths the trunk below the crown. The flowers are small and white and cup-shaped. They are clustered in spikes which hang downwards. These stalks can be 1 m long. These come from just below the crown shaft. The flowers occur in 3-4 clusters with 2 boat shaped spathes. The male cluster is longer than the female. The fruit are round berries which are deep purple in colour.