Puerto rican hat palm

Description

Sabal domingensis is a bigger burlier version of Florida's native cabbage palmetto (Sabal palmetto) to which it bears an otherwise close resemblance. The Hispaniola palm, as it is commonly called, has a single trunk that grows straight and erect to a height of 60 ft (18 m) and possibly taller. The trunk is massive, about 2 ft (60 cm) in diameter and usually with the upper several feet covered with interlaced leaf bases, left behind when the petioles break and the leaves fall. These eventually detach to reveal leaf scar rings upon the smooth light brown trunk. The crown is larger than that of S. palmetto and more open due to the larger leaves. The petioles (leaf stems) are about 5 - 6 ft (150 - 185 cm) and the leaves themselves are about 4 ft (125 cm) long.