Syagrus amara

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Figure 1. S. amara

Synonymy:

Rhyticocos amara

Common Names:

Overtop Palm,
Moca Palm

Distribution & Habitat:

Found in dry coastal forests in the Lesser Antilles.

Description:

A tall, slender, solitary, pinnate palm to about 20m, similar in appearance to the Cocos nucifera.

General:

This is the only species of Syagrus not native to the South American continent. It is widely grown in the West Indies as an ornamental.

Culture:

Sunny, well drained position. Quite fast growing. Frost, and drought tolerant.

Figure 2. S. amara on the east coast, island of Dominica, W.I., July 1975.

Figure 3. S. amara

Contributed by:

Dr. Stevens Heckscher (Figure 2)
Daryl O'Connor (Figure 1)

External Links:

Kew, PalmWeb, JSTOR, Trebrown

Google, GoogleImages, Flickr, PalmTalk