The palm family,
Arecaceae, is widespread in the
Caribbean. Globally there are about 191 genera and 2339 species as reported in 2004 by
Carlo Morici.[1] Their distribution is biased toward islands – 36% of genera and 52% of species are found only on islands, while 32% of genera and 6% of species are found only on continents. Sixty-two percent of
monotypic genera are found only on islands.[1]
Acoelorraphe is a monotypic genus which is distributed around the margins of the
Caribbean Sea, from
Florida to
San Andrés and
Providencia, Colombian islands in the western Caribbean. The tree is a slender
fan palm growing up to 7 metres (23 ft) tall, usually with many stems clustered together.[5]Acoelorraphe is a sister genus to Serenoa (Saw Palmetto), which is endemic to the southeastern
United States.[6] The species usually grows in low-lying areas near
sea level, often in flooded woodlands or thickets in
savannas.[2]
Acrocomia is a genus of
spiny palms found throughout the
Neotropics, from Mexico to
Argentina and throughout the Caribbean. Since it covers such a large range and is highly variable, as many as 40 species have been described in this genus. Most authors recognise only three species, A. aculeata, A. crispa and A. hassleri,[4] but others considers A. media to be distinct from A. aculeata.[8] Caribbean species have single, spiny stems 4–18 metres (13–59 ft) tall.[2]
Aiphanes is a genus of small to medium-sized
spiny palms. Caribbean species have solitary stems and are 3 to 18 metres (10 to 59 ft) tall.[2] Most of the 23 species of Aiphanes[1] are found in the
Andes; two species occur in the Caribbean, including A. minima, which is endemic to the region. Although many sources (e.g., Henderson et al. 1995[2]) consider the name A. aculeata to have precedence over A. horrida, in keeping with the nomenclature of the World checklist,[13] the latter name is used.
Astrocaryum is a genus of spiny palms native to Mexico,
Trinidad, Central and South America; the sharp, flattened spines that cover the trunk can be up to 30 cm (12 inches) long.[2] The Caribbean species has solitary stems, 8 to 20 metres (26 to 66 ft) tall. There are about 36 species in the genus. One of them, A. aculeatum, occurs in the insular Caribbean, while four others are found in the wider Caribbean: Astrocaryum alatum on the Caribbean coast from
Panama to Nicaragua, A. confertum on the Caribbean coast of Panama and Costa Rica, A. mexicanum along the Caribbean coast from Mexico to Nicaragua, and A. standleyanum on the Caribbean coast of Panama.[2]
Attalea is a large genus which includes some of the largest
Neotropical palms.[2] Three of the 67 species are present in the insular Caribbean, but two of these are restricted to
Trinidad and Tobago which is on the
continental shelf. The third species, A. crassispantha, is endemic to southwest Haiti; due to its very small population size, it is classified as a
critically endangered species[16] Three other species occur in the wider Caribbean: Attalea allenii along the Caribbean coast of Panama and Colombia, A. cohune on the Caribbean coast from Mexico to Nicaragua and A. iguadummat on the Caribbean coast of Panama.[2]
Bactris is a genus of palms which is found from southern Mexico to northern
Paraguay. It is one of the largest and most diverse palm genera in the
neotropics. Most species are medium-sized spiny palms with clustered stems. Most of the species present in the Caribbean are spiny trees 1 to 10 metres (3 to 33 ft) tall with clustered stems and
pinnate leaves; B simplicifrons is smaller (0.5–2 m) and often has
simple leaves and no spines.[2]
Seven of the 75 species in the genus Bactris occur in the insular Caribbean. Three species - B. cubensis, B. jamaicana and B. plumeriana are
Greater Antillean endemics, while the other four are South American species which extend north into
Trinidad and Tobago.[2] Salzman and Judd consider the three Greater Antillean species of Bactris to form a
clade with B. plumeriana and B. jamaicana as sister species.[20] Fifteen other species occur in the wider Caribbean: Bactris barronis on the Caribbean coast of Panama and Colombia, B. caudata on the Caribbean coast from Nicaragua to Panama, B. charnleyae on the Caribbean coast of Panama, B. coloniata on the Caribbean coast of Panama, B. coloradonis on the Caribbean coast from Costa Rica to Colombia, B. gasipaes on the Caribbean coast from Mexico to
Venezuela, B. glandulosa on the Caribbean coast from Costa Rica, to Colombia, B. gracilor on the Caribbean coast from Nicaragua, to Panama, B. grayumi on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, B. guineensis on the Caribbean coast of Colombia and Venezuela, B. hondurensis along the Caribbean coast from
Honduras to Colombia, B. maraja along the Caribbean coast from Costa Rica to Colombia, B. mexicana along the Caribbean coast from Belize to Nicaragua, B. militaris along the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and B. panamensis along the Caribbean coast of Panama.[2]
Palms in the genus Calyptronoma have pinnately
compound leaves and large, solitary stems 4 to 15 metres (13 to 49 ft) tall. The genus is
endemic to the Greater Antilles, inhabiting wet areas near streams. Calyptronoma is closely related to the
Central American genus Calyptrogyne.[2]
Coccothrinax is a genus of
fan palms found throughout the Caribbean and in adjacent parts of southern Florida and Mexico. Most species are small to medium-sized, with maximum heights between 5 and 15 metres (17 and 49 ft). Only one of the 55 species, C. readii,[31] is absent from the insular Caribbean. Two species, C. argentata and C. barbadensis, are widespread, while most of the others are restricted to Cuba and Hispaniola.
Copernicia is a moderately large genus of spiny, fan palms found in the Caribbean and South America. The Caribbean species are all Greater Antillean endemics; two species are restricted to Hispaniola, while the others are restricted to Cuba. Three species are absent from the insular Caribbean: C. alba[90] and C. prunifera,[91] which are found in South America away from the Caribbean, and C. tectorum[92] which is found in northern Venezuela and along the Caribbean coast of
Colombia.
Desmoncus is a genus of
spiny, scrambling, pinnate-leaved palms which range from Mexico in the north to
Bolivia and
Brazil in the south. Ten of the twelve species in have solely continental distributions. Two species are found on both the mainland and in the insular Caribbean.[2]
Euterpe consists of seven slender-stemmed, pinnate-leaved palms native to the Caribbean, Central and South America. The genus has been described as containing "the most beautiful American palms".[2] Four of the seven species are restricted to South America away from the Caribbean, two are found in
Central and South America and the insular Caribbean, and E. broadwayi is endemic to the eastern Caribbean.[120]
Gaussia is a genus of solitary, pinnate palms found in the Caribbean, northern
Central America and southern Mexico. There are five species in the genus - three are endemic to the Greater Antilles, while G. gomez-pompae and G. maya are found in the Caribbean coastal region of Mexico, Belize and
Guatemala.[2]
Geonoma is a genus of small to medium-sized palms which grow in the forest
understorey. The genus is one of the largest in the
neotropics.[2] The genus consists of 64 species, two of which are found in the insular Caribbean.[1] Ten other species are found in the wider Caribbean: G. chococola, G. concinna, G. divisia and G. triandra are found on the Caribbean coast of Panama, G. congesta is found along the Caribbean coast from Honduras to Colombia, G. cuneata is found along the Caribbean coast from
Nicaragua to Colombia, G. deversa is found along the Caribbean coast from
Belize to Colombia, G. epetiolaris and G. longevaginata are found along the Caribbean coast from
Costa Rica to Panama and G. triandra is found along the Caribbean coast of Panama and Colombia.[2]
Leucothrinax is a monotypic genus of fan palms which is native to the northern Caribbean. The species was split from the genus Thrinax after
phylogenetic studies showed that its inclusion in Thrinax would render that genus
paraphyletic.[131]
Manicaria is a genus of pinnate-leaved palms. One species, M. saccifera is found from Belize to Brazil and
Peru, while the other M. martiana is found in southeastern Colombia and northern Brazil.[134]
Mauritia is a genus of fan palms which is native to northern South America. One species has a wide distribution which extends into the insular Caribbean, while the other M. carana is restricted to the
Amazon region.
Oenocarpus is a genus of pinnate-leaved palms found in
Central and South America. Oenocarpus bataua is found in Trinidad and along the Caribbean coast of Venezuela, while O. mapora is found on the Caribbean coast of Venezuela and Panama.
Prestoea is a genus of
pinnate-leaved palms found in
Central and South America and the Caribbean. It is closely related to the genus Euterpe. Two species are found in the Caribbean - P. pubigera is found in Trinidad, and P. acuminata is found throughout most of the Caribbean.[120] Four other species, P. decurrens, P. ensiformis, P. longipetiolata and P. pubens are found along the Caribbean coast of Central America.[2]
Pseudophoenix is a genus of
pinnate-leaved palms found throughout the Caribbean. Three species are endemic to the Greater Antilles, while the fourth, P. sargentii, is widely distributed in the northern Caribbean and adjacent portions of the
Central and
North American mainland.[1]
Reinhardtia is a genus of simple or
palmate-leaved palms found in the wider Caribbean, between Mexico and Colombia, with a single
disjunct species which is endemic to Hispaniola. All species are small (1 to 6 metres [3 to 20 ft] tall) and inhabit the forest
understorey.[2]
Roystonea is a genus of pinnate-leaved palms which range from south Florida and Mexico south to Venezuela. Seven species are endemic to the Greater Antilles and the Virgin Islands - four of these are Cuban endemics. The only species which is absent from the insular Caribbean, R. dunlapiana, is found on the Caribbean coast of Mexico,
Honduras and
Nicaragua.[145]
Syagrus is a genus of primarily South American palms. Thirty of the thirty-one species are South American; the other, S. amara, is endemic to the
Lesser Antilles. One species, S. orinocensis is found on the Caribbean coast of Venezuela.[2]
Thrinax is a genus of fan palms. Three of the four species of are endemic to the insular Caribbean, while the fourth occurs in the insular Caribbean and in Florida,
Mexico and
Central America. Three species are single-island endemics - two to Jamaica and one to Cuba.[2]
Thrinax radiata:[165] Bahamas,
Cayman Islands, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Navassa Island[133] (also Florida, Mexico and Central America).
Zombia
Zombia is a monotypic genus of fan palms which is endemic to Hispaniola.[166] Individuals are up to 3 m (10 ft) tall and grow in dry, hilly regions. It is restricted to
serpentine soils, at least in the
Dominican Republic.[2]
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