THE ROYAL PALM

The first tree to be seen by visitors to Cuba is the Royal Palm. It is difficult to think of this Caribbean island without its presence and throughout the country from Cape San Antonio its westernmost tip to the easternmost point Punta de Maisi palms can be seen in groups or isolated.The Cuban Royal Palm (Roystonea regia) besides having important botanical values has produced a positive and deep impression in Cuban society.Roystonea regia belongs to the palmaceae family and can reach twelve to fifteen meters in height. Its leaves are used to shade tobacco and roof houses the trunk provides boards for houses and furniture the yagua is used to pack tobacco in branches and is known as tercio; its fruits called palmiche are used to feed animals.This prodigious tree provides three ecosystem services: it provides shelter for wildlife nesting sites for wild birds that nest in cavities in the tree trunks and food for avifauna.This is the book about this important tree of the Cuban flora recognized as the queen of the fields for its magnificence and beauty.