Nomenclature follows the
Arecaceae section of the
World Checklist of Selected Plant Families.
Acoelorraphe 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.
Acoelorraphe is a sister genus to
Serenoa (Saw Palmetto), which is endemic to the southeastern
United States. The species usually grows in low-lying areas near
sea level, often in flooded woodlands or thickets in
savannas. •
Acoelorraphe wrightii:
Bahamas (
Andros,
Eleuthera,
New Providence), Cuba (west Cuba and
Isle of Youth),
San Andrés and Providencia (Colombia); also present on the Caribbean coastal areas of south Florida,
Mexico, Belize,
Nicaragua and
Costa Rica. Caribbean species have single, spiny stems 4–18 metres (13–59 ft) tall. Cuba,
Dominican Republic,
Haiti,
Jamaica,
Leeward Islands, Windward Islands and
Trinidad and Tobago (also Mexico,
Central and South America). •
Acrocomia crispa: Cuba; until recently this species was considered to belong to a monotypic genus,
Gastrococos. •
Acrocomia media:
Puerto Rico and the
Virgin Islands.
Aiphanes 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. 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
Trinidad (also tropical South America). •
Aiphanes minima: Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico,
Martinique, Dominica,
Saint Lucia,
Saint Vincent,
Barbados and
Grenada. Trinidad (also tropical South America).
Attalea Attalea is a large genus which includes some of the largest
Neotropical palms. 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. southwest Haiti. •
Attalea maripa: Trinidad (also tropical South America). •
Attalea osmantha: Trinidad and Tobago (also northern
Venezuela).
Bactris 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. 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.
Trinidad and Tobago (also tropical South America). •
Bactris cubensis: eastern Cuba. •
Bactris jamaicana:
Jamaica. •
Bactris major: Trinidad and Tobago (also Mexico to tropical South America). •
Bactris plumeriana:
Hispaniola. •
Bactris setulosa: Trinidad and Tobago (also Venezuela, Colombia,
Ecuador and
Peru). •
Bactris simplicifrons: Trinidad and Tobago (also tropical South America).
Calyptronoma 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.
Jamaica. •
Calyptronoma plumeriana: Cuba and Hispaniola. •
Calyptronoma rivalis: Hispaniola and Puerto Rico.
Coccothrinax ''
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, 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. •
Coccothrinax acuminata: Cuba. •
Coccothrinax acunana:
Pico Turquino, Cuba. •
Coccothrinax alexandri: east Cuba. •
Coccothrinax alta: Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. •
Coccothrinax argentata: Bahamas,
Florida Keys and
San Andrés Island Haiti and the Dominican Republic. •
Coccothrinax baracoensis: southeast Cuba. •
Coccothrinax barbadensis: Leeward Islands, Windward Islands,
Netherlands Antilles and
Trinidad and Tobago. •
Coccothrinax bermudezii: southeast Cuba. •
Coccothrinax borhidiana:
Matanzas Province, Cuba. •
Coccothrinax boschiana: Dominican Republic. •
Coccothrinax camagueyana: east central Cuba. •
Coccothrinax clarensis: east Cuba. •
Coccothrinax concolor: Haiti. •
Coccothrinax crinita: Cuba. •
Coccothrinax cupularis: south Cuba. •
Coccothrinax ekmanii: Haiti and the Dominican Republic. •
Coccothrinax elegans: Cuba. •
Coccothrinax fagildei: Cuba. •
Coccothrinax fragrans: east Cuba and Haiti. •
Coccothrinax garciana:
Holguín Province, Cuba. •
Coccothrinax gracilis: Haiti and the Dominican Republic. •
Coccothrinax guantanamensis: east Cuba. •
Coccothrinax gundlachii: central and east Cuba. •
Coccothrinax hioramii: east Cuba. •
Coccothrinax inaguensis: Bahamas. •
Coccothrinax jamaicensis:
Jamaica. •
Coccothrinax jimenezii: Hispaniola •
Coccothrinax leonis: Cuba. •
Coccothrinax litoralis: Cuba. •
Coccothrinax macroglossa: east Cuba. •
Coccothrinax microphylla: east Cuba. •
Coccothrinax miraguama: Cuba. •
Coccothrinax moaensis: east Cuba. •
Coccothrinax montana: Haiti. •
Coccothrinax munizii: east Cuba. •
Coccothrinax muricata: east central Cuba. •
Coccothrinax nipensis: east Cuba. •
Coccothrinax orientalis: east Cuba. •
Coccothrinax pauciramosa: east Cuba. •
Coccothrinax proctorii:
Cayman Islands. •
Coccothrinax pseudorigida: east central Cuba. •
Coccothrinax pumila: Cuba. •
Coccothrinax rigida: east Cuba. •
Coccothrinax salvatoris: east and east central Cuba. •
Coccothrinax saxicola: east Cuba. •
Coccothrinax scoparia: Haiti. •
Coccothrinax spirituana: Cuba. •
Coccothrinax spissa: Haiti and the Dominican Republic. •
Coccothrinax torrida: Cuba. •
Coccothrinax trinitensis: east central Cuba. •
Coccothrinax victorinii: east Cuba. •
Coccothrinax yunquensis: south Cuba. •
Coccothrinax yuraguana: west Cuba.
Colpothrinax Colpothrinax is a genus of solitary-stemmed palmate-leaved palms native to
Central America and the
Caribbean. and
C. cookii which are restricted to Central America, and
C. wrightii which is a Cuban endemic. •
Colpothrinax wrightii: southwest Cuba including the
Isle of Youth.
Copernicia ''
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 and
C. prunifera, which are found in South America away from the Caribbean, and
C. tectorum which is found in northern Venezuela and along the Caribbean coast of
Colombia. •
Copernicia baileyana: east and central Cuba. •
Copernicia berteroana: Haiti and the Dominican Republic. •
Copernicia brittonorum: west and west central Cuba. •
Copernicia × burretiana: Cuba. •
Copernicia cowellii:
Camagüey Province, Cuba. •
Copernicia curbeloi: Cuba. •
Copernicia curtissii: Cuba. •
Copernicia ekmanii: northern Haiti. •
Copernicia × escarzana: Cuba. •
Copernicia fallaensis: Cuba. •
Copernicia gigas: east Cuba. •
Copernicia glabrescens: west and west central Cuba. •
Copernicia hospita: Cuba. •
Copernicia humicola: Cuba. •
Copernicia longiglossa: east Cuba. •
Copernicia macroglossa: west and central Cuba. •
Copernicia molinetii: Cuba. •
Copernicia × occidentalis: Cuba. •
Copernicia rigida: east and central Cuba. •
Copernicia roigii: Cuba. •
Copernicia × shaferi: Cuba. •
Copernicia × sueroana: Cuba. •
Copernicia × textilis: Cuba. •
Copernicia × vespertilionum: Cuba. •
Copernicia yarey: Cuba.
Desmoncus 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.
Trinidad and Tobago (also tropical South America). •
Desmoncus polyacanthos:
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines •
Euterpe broadwayi: Dominica,
Grenada,
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and
Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago (also tropical South America). •
Euterpe precatoria: Trinidad and Tobago (also Central and South America).
Gaussia 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. Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. •
Gaussia princeps: western Cuba. •
Gaussia spirituana:
Sierra de Jatibonico in east-central Cuba.
Geonoma 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. Haiti, Windward Islands and
Trinidad and Tobago (also Mexico,
Central and South America). •
Geonoma undata: Windward Islands (also Mexico, Central America and western tropical South America).
Hemithrinax Hemithrinax is a genus of fan palms which are endemic to Cuba. Many authors Cuba. •
Hemithrinax rivularis: Cuba.
Leucothrinax 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. •
Leucothrinax morrisii: Florida Keys, Bahamas, Cuba, Haiti, Puerto Rico,
Navassa Island •
Manicaria saccifera:
Trinidad and Tobago (also tropical
Central and
South America).
Mauritia ''
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. •
Mauritia flexuosa:
Trinidad (also tropical South America).
Oenocarpus 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. •
Oenocarpus bataua: Trinidad (also tropical Panama and South America).
Prestoea 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. Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti,
Puerto Rico, Leeward Islands, Windward Islands and
Trinidad and Tobago (also Central and South America). •
Prestoea pubigera: Trinidad (also northwest Venezuela).
Pseudophoenix ''
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. Dominican Republic. •
Pseudophoenix lediniana: southwest Haiti. •
Pseudophoenix sargentii: Bahamas,
Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti,
Florida Keys,
Turks and Caicos Islands and the Windward Islands (also Mexico and Belize). •
Pseudophoenix vinifera: Haiti and southwest Dominican Republic.
Reinhardtia 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. southwest Dominican Republic.
Roystonea ''
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. •
Roystonea altissima:
Jamaica. •
Roystonea borinquena: Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. •
Roystonea lenis: east Cuba. •
Roystonea maisiana: east Cuba. •
Roystonea oleracea: Leeward Islands,
Windward Islands and
Trinidad and Tobago (also Venezuela and Colombia). •
Roystonea princeps: southwest Jamaica. •
Roystonea regia: Bahamas,
Cayman Islands and Cuba (also Florida, Mexico and
Central America). •
Roystonea stellata: east Cuba. •
Roystonea violacea: east Cuba.
Sabal ''
Sabal is a genus of fan palms. Six of the sixteen species are native to the insular Caribbean - three of which are endemic to the Greater Antilles and the
Virgin Islands. A seventh species,
S. bermudana, is endemic to
Bermuda.
Sabal etonia and
S. miamiensis are found along the
Atlantic coast of Florida,
S. gretheriae is found on the Caribbean coast of the
Yucatan,
S. mexicana is found along the Caribbean coast of Mexico into south
Texas,
S. minor is found along the
Gulf Coast of the United States. Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. •
Sabal domingensis: Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic. •
Sabal maritima: Cuba and
Jamaica. •
Sabal mauritiiformis: Trinidad (also Mexico to Venezuela). •
Sabal palmetto:
Bahamas, Cuba and
Turks and Caicos Islands (also southeast
United States). •
Sabal yapa: western Cuba (also Mexico and Belize).
Syagrus 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.
Montserrat,
Guadeloupe,
Dominica,
Martinique and
Saint Lucia; coastal areas below 300 m. Cuba. •
Thrinax excelsa: Jamaica. •
Thrinax parviflora: Jamaica. •
Thrinax radiata: Bahamas,
Cayman Islands, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Navassa Island 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. Dominican Republic and Haiti. == See also ==