What Palms are Native to Jamaica?

[PalmTreeDude]

What palm trees are native to Jamaica? I have always wondered this for some reason. Also, does anyone have a cold hardiness map of Jamaica? Yeah, I know it is in very warm zones!

[Sabal Steve]

Thrinax parviflora comes from Jamaica.  I wonder if it will grow here - surely people have tried...

[Jim in Los Altos]

  On 8/15/2016 at 5:06 AM, Sabal Steve said:

Thrinax parviflora comes from Jamaica.  I wonder if it will grow here - surely people have tried...

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Yes, I have one growing decently in my NorCal garden.

[Jim in Los Altos]

I assume Cocos nucifera 'Jamaican tall' is native.

[enigma99]

Roystonea Princeps. And I have two of them! 

[monkeyranch]

Field Guide To The Palms Of The Americas has a list of species by country in the appendix.  For Jamaica:

Acrocomia aculeata

Bactris plumeriana

Calyptronoma occidentalis

Coccothrinax argentata

Cocos nucifera

Roystonea altissima

Roystonea princeps

Sabal maritima

Thrinax excelsa

Thrinax parviflora ssp. parviflora

Thrinax parviflora ssp.  puberula

Thrinax radiata

[Phil Stager]

The Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera) is NOT native to the New World.  Early introductions were to the west coast by the Spanish from the Philippines in the Manila to Acapulco galleon route; early introductions on the Atlantic coast (primarily Brazil) were by the Portuguese via the Azores from India.  The Coconut Time Line has tons of info on them (can't find URL this early in the morning).

[awkonradi]

I thought it was an open question whether Cocos was present on the W coast of Central America before Columbus.

[Pal Meir]

There is (also) much evidence that Cocos had spread naturally at first from the Americas over the Pacific to Oceania and back.

[Sabal Steve]

  On 8/15/2016 at 6:07 AM, Jim in Los Altos said:

I assume Cocos nucifera 'Jamaican tall' is native.

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How long have you had it Jim?   What conditions is it in?

[Brad Mondel]

I read that Cocos was native to South America based on genetic research. Close relatives include Syagrus, Jubaea, and Butia. All from South America as well. 

[Zeeth]

  On 8/15/2016 at 9:54 PM, Brad Mondel said:

I read that Cocos was native to South America based on genetic research. Close relatives include Syagrus, Jubaea, and Butia. All from South America as well. 

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It's still up for debate. The ones in South America are genetically closer to the varieties found in Southeast Asia than those found in Polynesia, but it's thought that this is due to a separate introduction from the Phillipines by the Austronesians, rather than by the Spanish.