Roystonea violacea 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 violacea is a large palm which reaches heights of 15 metres (49 ft). Stems are mauve-brown to mauve-grey and are about 34 centimetres (13.4 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 2 m (6.6 ft) long. Individuals have about 15 leaves with 80 centimetres (31.5 in) petiole

Petiole (botany)

In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...

s and 3.2–3.6 m (10.5–11.8 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 1.3 m (4.3 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 violet male and female flowers. Fruit are 12–13.7 mm (0.47244094488189–0.539370078740158 ) long and 7.8 millimetre wide, and are brown to black when ripe.