Roystonea maisiana
Encyclopedia
Roystonea maisiana is a species of palm
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...

 which is endemic to the Maisí
Maisí, Cuba
Maisí is a municipality and town in the Guantánamo Province of Cuba.The easternmost point of Cuba, Punta Maisí is located in this municipality.-Demographics:...

 region of Guantánamo Province
Guantánamo Province
Guantánamo is the easternmost province of Cuba. Its capital is also called Guantánamo. Other towns include Baracoa. The province surrounds the U.S. Navy base at Guantánamo Bay.-History:...

 in eastern Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

.

Description

Roystonea maisiana is a large palm which reaches heights of 20 metres (66 ft). Stems are grey-white and are usually 26–40 cm (10.2–15.7 ), sometimes up to 51 centimetres (20.1 in), in diameter. The upper portion of the stem is encircled by leaf sheaths, forming a green portion known as the crownshaft
Crownshaft
An elongated circumferential leaf base formation present on some species of palm is called a crownshaft.The leaf bases of some pinnate leaved palms form a sheath at the top of the trunk surrounding the bud where all the subsequent leaves are formed.The crownshaft...

 which is normally 1.5 m (4.9 ft) long. Individuals have about 15 leaves with 4.8 metres (15.7 ft) rachis
Rachis
Rachis is a biological term for a main axis or "shaft".-In zoology:In vertebrates a rachis can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this case the rachis usually form the supporting axis of the body and is then called the spine or vertebral column...

es; the leaves hang well horizontal. The 0.8–1.1 m (2.6–3.6 ft) inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...

s bear white male and female flowers. Fruit are 10–13.7 mm (0.393700787401575–0.539370078740158 ) long and 7.5 millimetre wide, and black when ripe.
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