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Roystonea regia (Kunth) O.F. Cook
Royal palm, Florida royal palm

Roystonea regia
Copyright by: Roger L. Hammer

Family: Arecaceae

Group: Monocot

Substrate: Terrestrial

Habit: Tree

Perennation: Perennial

Native Range: Peninsular Florida, the West Indies, Mexico, and Central America; widely cultivated and naturalized outside of its natural range. In Florida, native to freshwater swamps from southern Miami-Dade County to southern Collier County. Originally described from plants growing along the banks of the St. John’s River near Lake George (William F. Bartram 1791, p. 113-114; Small 1933), but never reported again from that area.

Map of select IRC data for peninsular Florida

NatureServe Global Status: Imperiled

State of Florida Status: Endangered

Florida Natural Areas Inventory State Status: Imperiled

IRC SOUTH FLORIDA Status: Rare

SOUTH FLORIDA Occurrence: Present

SOUTH FLORIDA Native Status: Native

SOUTH FLORIDA Cultivated Status: Cultivated

Comments: For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the Exploring Florida website.

Synonyms: Roystonea elata.

Other data on Roystonea regia available from :

Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants
Roystonea regia has been found in the following 68 conservation areas :
Occurrence Native Status
Alice C. Wainwright Park Possibly Extirpated Not Native, Naturalized
Arch Creek Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Big and Little George Hammocks Present Not Native, Naturalized
Big Cypress National Preserve Present Native
Bill Sadowski Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Bonair Beach Parcel, Martin County Present Not Native, Naturalized
Caloosahatchee Creeks Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Camp Owaissa Bauer Addition Present Not Native, Naturalized
Castellow Hammock parcel 28 Present Not Native, Naturalized
Castellow Hammock parcel 33 Present Not Native, Naturalized
Castellow Hammock Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Chapman Field Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Collier-Seminole State Park Present Native
Coral Reef Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary Present Not Native, Naturalized
County Line Scrub, Miami-Dade County Present Not Native, Naturalized
Curry Hammock State Park Presumed Extirpated Not Native, Cultivated Only
Deering Estate at Cutler Present Not Native, Naturalized
Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Enchanted Forest Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Everglades National Park Present Native
Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park Present Native
Fern Forest Nature Center Present Not Native, Naturalized
Florida City Pineland Present Not Native, Naturalized
Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge Present Native
Fuchs Hammock Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Greynolds Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Gulfstream Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Harden Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Hattie Bauer Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Highland Oaks Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Hillsboro Pineland Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Jonathan Dickinson State Park Present
Key West National Wildlife Refuge Presumed Extirpated Not Native, Cultivated Only
Kiplinger Present Not Native, Naturalized
Koreshan State Historic Site Present Not Native, Naturalized
Lake Okeechobee Marshes Present Not Native, Naturalized
Long Key Natural Area & Nature Center Present Not Native, Naturalized
Matheson Hammock Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Meissner Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Milton E. Thompson Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Navy Wells Pineland 23 Present Not Native, Naturalized
Navy Wells Pineland Preserve Present Not Native, Cultivated Only
Ocean Ridge Hammock Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Peck Lake Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Picayune Strand State Forest Assumed to be Present Native
Pine Island Ridge Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Pond Apple Slough Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
R. Hardy Matheson Preserve Present Not Native, Naturalized
Red Reef Park, including Gumbo Limbo Nature Center Present Not Native, Naturalized
Riverbend Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Rock Pit 39 Present Not Native, Naturalized
Seabranch Preserve State Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Seacrest Scrub Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
Secret Woods Nature Center Present Not Native, Naturalized
Sewell Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Silver Palm Groves Present Not Native, Naturalized
Silver Palm Hammock Present Not Native, Naturalized
Simpson Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
SOCSOUTH Present Not Native, Naturalized
Tall Cypress Natural Area Present Not Native, Naturalized
The Barnacle State Historic Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Tradewinds Park & Stables Present Not Native, Naturalized
Trail Glades Range Present Not Native, Naturalized
Tree Tops Park Present Not Native, Naturalized
Twin Rivers Present Not Native, Naturalized
West Lake Park/Anne Kolb Nature Center Present Not Native, Naturalized

Roystonea regia has been found in the following 5 counties :
Occurrence Native Status
Collier County Native
Martin County Not Native, Naturalized
Miami-Dade County Native
Monroe County (Mainland) Native
Palm Beach County Not Native, Naturalized

Roystonea regia has been found in the following 4 habitats :
Alluvial Forest
Disturbed Wetland
Rockland Hammock
Strand Swamp

All Images:

Roystonea regia
Copyright by: Roger L. Hammer
Roystonea regia
Copyright by: Keith A. Bradley