Roystonea regia habitat pics

[jayfro6]

If you've driven south of "Alligator Alley" on State Road 29 in Collier County, you can't miss the stand of royal palms that is accompanied by baldcypress, red maple, and a few tropical species such as gumbo limbo. One of the managers told me awhile back that the area, including the Fakahatchee Strand, was logged in the 1940s and was pretty much left to regenerate a new forest on its own. This is the largest area of natural or naturalized, whichever theory you want to believe, Roystonea regia in the state.

I am a forester and I was doing some surveying in part of the strand so I grabbed a few pics. The underbrush doesn't thin out in there too much, but it was a lot more fun than looking at planted pines!

Jane's Scenic Memorial Drive

One of the old baldcypress stumps with birdnest fern (I think) growing on it

[jayfro6]

Some seedlings (kind of hard to see)

trunk

[jayfro6]

base of trunk

[Mark Heath]

Thank you for sharing your pics! I love stumbling upon things like that! Was there alot more Royals than what you had taken a picture of? Cool find!

[jayfro6]

Not the richest part of the strand, but still plenty of orchids, bromeliads, if you're looking for them. Here are some general habitat pics--pretty swampy and thick.

royal palm behind a swamp redbay

[jayfro6]

Thank you for sharing your pics! I love stumbling upon things like that! Was there alot more Royals than what you had taken a picture of? Cool find!

Mark:

There are a lot visible from FL 29, there are pockets of them throughout but a lot of the swamp is a little too deep for them. These were on an old tram road bed.

[FRITO]

Jay, thanks for the photos. Looks like a rich habitat with many types of plants as you were telling me.

nothing quite like palms in habitat, especially the Royal.

I was surprised to see Royals naturalizing in Ft Myers. I have vited the Veradah down there which is a gated community with over 30 acres of nature trails and natural preserved land. royals all over the place in there.

[DoomsDave]

Jayfro!

Nice to meet you!

Those are some great pictures.

I went to the Roystonea stand right where the main road branches off to go to Marco Island . . . . Collier Seminole State Park!

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Jay, thanks for the photos! I love seeing Royals in habitat, especially in Florida.

[Dave-Vero]

Royals naturalize in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, too.

Nice photos. Might be worth pointing out that the roadway was constructed for logging of cypress in an area that should have been a national park.

[DoomsDave]

Here's one at Collier

[DoomsDave]

And another.

[DoomsDave]

Babay!

[DoomsDave]

Big Bertha . . . .

[DoomsDave]

Close up of crown.

[DoomsDave]

Vista view

[DoomsDave]

Another VV

[Jeff in Costa Rica]

Bonus photos! Thanks Dave. Gotta love Big Bertha!

[edric]

Outstanding Jay, Ed

[kylecawazafla]

Native or not, those photos are beautiful! I want your job!!!

[Exotic Life]

Hi,

Thanks for sharing this pictures. Roystonea is a palm species that i like very much.

Robbin

[bubba]

Jay, Great pictures of the great Florida tropics. In my mind,Tamiami Trail(41) from Naples to Miami is the Gateway.Hoped you stopped at either Everglades City or Frog City.I know Dave enjoyed it.

[palmislandRandy]

Thanks for the pics. I'll have to check them out, next drive to the west coast! I live in Western Palm Beach County and see Royals scattered in the most remote places. I always wondered how they got there. Are they natural??

[PalmGuyWC]

Jay,

Great photos of Fakahatchee. I used to visit there before and after the bad freezes of the 80's. Before the freezes the place was covered with orchids and bromeliads. After the freezes there were quite a few less. The rare goast orchid grows there. It has a beautiful white flower and no leaves. The chlorophyll is in the roots and they are hard to spot unless they are blooming. They were mostly found growing at the base of cyprus trees a few feet above the water.

Dick

[Eric in Orlando]

Great photos, I've always wanted to go down there and see these palms in the wild.

We have some growing here, they were from seed collected there. We have them planted in a swampy place next to the lake and often can be growing in a foot of water for weeks at a time.

[Paul The Palm Doctor!]

Hi, Jay:

I enjoyed the photo tour!

Are these Royals regia or elata? Just curious?

Paul

[edric]

Hi, Jay:

I enjoyed the photo tour!

Are these Royals regia or elata? Just curious?

Paul

Authorities on this website concur that R. Regia, and R. Elata, are both Regia now, only the habitat makes them look different, Ed

[palmsOrl]

Thank you for sharing. I've noticed from the pictures of the wild Florida royals that they tend to have a thinner trunk and lighter green foliage. It's almost like they're stay just a touch malnourished on a consistent basis. I like that particular look on royals though. Are there any native populations of Roysonea regia on any of the Florida Keys?

-Michael

[Tyrone]

Thanks for those pics. Palms growing in habitat gives an insight into what they like to grow in. Your pics show that Royals like to grow in semi open swampy woodland, so if you can create that in your garden provided the temps are right, you'll have great Royals. I love the baby pics.

There is a creek not far from here that was made into a drain, then a few years back the council decided to beautify it with some palms and a cycle way. None of it is irrigated and things are doing OK, but what surprised me was one royal growing on the side of the bike track looking perfect. Once a year I take a stroll and give it a clean-up. Your pics remind me of it, growing in semi protected woodland. No wonder it's happy.

Best regards

Tyrone

[floridagrower]

Very nice Jay.

[Davidl]

Royals love the soil we have here which is black mucky sandy mix. I think they like a variety of soils but I know they grow good in this soil and are not light green or skinny for sure. I had to move some pieces of a royal palm that was cut up and let me tell you they were heavy. Thanks for the pics Jay.

[palmsOrl]

David I was referring to the ones in habitat, not the ones in cultivation in central/south Florida. I have a couple, and yeah their trunks are huge and the foliage very dark green. I really enjoyed the photos Jay!

-Michael