Cuban Royal Palm
”It is beautiful here. Must be one of the offshore islands. Cocos… one of the cinco muertes maybe.”
~Anne
Species:
Roystonea regia
Common Name:
Cuban Royal Palm
Family:
Arecaceae
Seen in:
• The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
• Jurassic Park Trespasser (1998)
Description:
The Cuban Royal Palm, simply Royal Palm or Florida Royal Palm, is a popular species of Palm Tree native to most of the Caribbean Islands and parts of Central America. It is a very commonly used species for ornamental and decorative purposes, planted next to dirt trails or in front of old plantation houses back in the day. It is also considered the national tree of Cuba.
The Cuban Royal Palm can grow to impressive 25 meters in height, but often varies from 15 meters or so. Its trunk is smooth, in a light tone with darker horizontal ridges. At the top, the greenish stem is room for large leaves that can grow to nearly 4 meters in length.
In Jurassic Park, the Cuban Royal Palm is first seen in 1997 at the center-east portion of Isla Sorna, with the transition from Temperate environment into the warmer Tropical forests, Palms such as the Cuban Royal start to be present in the center of the Island, where the Operations Village is located. The Palm would have its true predominance at the southeastern region of the Island though, there sub-tropical plains and jungles occur. It would be first seen by Anne as she crash lands at a southern beach nearby the Hotel Foundation, with the Palm seen up until the Burroughs more to the west. It is unclear if the tree naturally found its way into Sorna, or if it was introduced to the Island during colonial times or by Ingen.
Size Estimates:
15m to 24m Tall
Did you know?
The Cuban Royal Palm has great significance in the Cuban religion. Being associated with the Shango and Aggayú Orishas in Santería.
Habitat & Geographical Ranging:
Living in Tropical and Sub-Tropical environments, the Cuban Royal Palm can be found in hillsides, valleys, warm plains and lush jungles. It is also commonly found nearby old farm & plantation houses in Central and South America as well as the Caribbean. A remnant of its decorative purposes back in the day.
Its distribution extends to places such as Cayman Islands, Cuba itself, Bahamas, parts of Mexico, Haiti, Dominican Republic and the Lesser Antilles. The Palm naturalized itself into countries such as Costa Rica, Guyana and Panama too. As well as being introduced further south in places such as Brazil, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
The Palm found its way into the Costa Rican island of Isla Sorna too, growing in the central and southeastern regions. It is unclear what circumstances led to the species being introduced on the Island.
Individual Variation:
This Species has no known variation.