Kauaʻi record · kba_plant_roystonea_regia
Cuban Royal Palm
Roystonea regia
Open this record in the interactive AtlasAbout Cuban Royal Palm
Cuban Royal Palm (Roystonea regia) is a post-contact introduced tree documented on Kauaʻi through cultivation records. Native from southern Florida and Mexico through parts of Central America and the Caribbean, primarily in wet tropical settings. Abundant fleshy fruits are eaten by birds and other animals. A 2015 government forest-reserve survey documents naturalized Kauaʻi occurrence; current extent and effects are unmeasured.
Kauaʻi evidence
Taxonomic identity, tree form, diagnostic morphology and island occurrence use the linked reviewed sources. Historical planting, cultivation, naturalization and invasive status are separate. Generated imagery is not occurrence evidence.
Names and classification
- Scientific name
- Roystonea regia
- Common names
- Cuban Royal Palm · Royal palm
- Other names
- Roystonea regia · Cuban royal palm · Royal palm · Oreodoxa regia
- Record type
- Species
Kauaʻi occurrence and status
- Kauaʻi occurrence
- Recorded on Kauaʻi
- Origin
- Introduced
- Conservation status
- Not yet assessed
- Evidence date
- 2026-10-06
- Evidence limits
- Present island-wide abundance, occupied habitat, recruitment, population trend, and ecological effects have not been quantified; no invasive severity is inferred from checklist or forestry status.
Habitat and ecology
- Habitats
- Not yet assessed
- Food and resource needs
- Not yet assessed
- Reproduction
- Large infrafoliar inflorescences bear separate male and female flowers and produce many one-seeded drupes. Animals can disperse ripe fruit; local pollinators, dispersers, and recruitment are unmeasured.
- Shelter
- Not yet assessed
- Growth form
- Palm tree
Threats and conservation
- Monitoring
- Not yet assessed
- Data gaps
- Current population extent and trajectory · Additional species-specific ecological and conservation sources
Process and seasonal context
- Seasonal timing
- Not yet assessed
- Seasonal description
- Cuban Royal Palm (Roystonea regia) is a post-contact introduced tree documented on Kauaʻi through cultivation records. Native from southern Florida and Mexico through parts of Central America and the Caribbean, primarily in wet tropical settings. Abundant fleshy fruits are eaten by birds and other animals. A 2015 government forest-reserve survey documents naturalized Kauaʻi occurrence; current extent and effects are unmeasured.