The palm family, Arecaceae, is widespread in the Caribbean. Globally there are about 191 genera and 2339 species as reported in 2004 by Carlo Morici. Their distribution is biased toward islands – 36% of genera and 52% of species are found only on islands, while 32% of genera and 6% of species are found only on continents. Sixty-two percent of monotypic genera are found only on islands.
Phytogeographically, the Caribbean region is often considered to include the coastal plains of the United States (including south Florida), Mexico (especially the Yucatan), Belize, Colombia and Venezuela. Most species either have a wide distribution which includes part of the Caribbean, or are endemic to the Greater Antilles. Of the islands in the Caribbean, Cuba has the most species of palm, followed by Hispaniola. The Windward and Leeward Islands have the fewest. The palm flora of Trinidad and Tobago consists primarily of species with a South American distribution. Three genera of palm are endemic to the Greater Antilles: Calyptronoma, Hemithrinax and Zombia. Although nearly ubiquitous in the region, the coconut (Cocos nucifera) is not native to the Caribbean. The Caribbean species in the genus Copernicia are all Greater Antillean endemics; two species are restricted to Hispaniola, while the others are restricted to Cuba.
Genera Nomenclature follows the Arecaceae section of the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families.
Acoelorraphe
Acoelorraphe is a monotypic genus which is distributed around the margins of the Caribbean Sea, from Florida to San Andrés and Providencia, Colombian islands in the western Caribbean. The tree is a slender fan palm growing up to 7 metres (23 ft) tall, usually with many stems clustered together. Acoelorraphe is a sister genus to Serenoa (Saw Palmetto), which is endemic to the southeastern United States. The species usually grows in low-lying areas near sea level, often in flooded woodlands or thickets in savannas.
Acoelorraphe wrightii: Bahamas (Andros, Eleuthera, New Providence), Cuba (west Cuba and Isle of Youth), San Andrés and Providencia (Colombia); also present on the Caribbean coastal areas of south Florida, Mexico, Belize, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
Acrocomia
Acrocomia is a genus of spiny palms found throughout the Neotropics, from Mexico to Argentina and throughout the Caribbean. Since it covers such a large range and is highly variable, as many as 40 species have been described in this genus. Most authors recognise only three species, A. aculeata, A. crispa and A. hassleri, but others considers A. media to be distinct from A. aculeata. Caribbean species have single, spiny stems 4–18 metres (13–59 ft) tall.
Acrocomia aculeata: Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Windward Islands and Trinidad and Tobago (also Mexico, Central and South America). Acrocomia crispa: Cuba; until recently this species was considered to belong to a monotypic genus, Gastrococos. Acrocomia media: This species is considered valid by but not by Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Aiphanes
Aiphanes is a genus of small to medium-sized spiny palms. Caribbean species have solitary stems and are 3 to 18 metres (10 to 59 ft) tall. Most of the 23 species of Aiphanes are found in the Andes; two species occur in the Caribbean, including A. minima, which is endemic to the region. Although many sources (e.g., Henderson et al. 1995) consider the name A. aculeata to have precedence over A. horrida, in keeping with the nomenclature of the World checklist, the latter name is used. Aiphanes horrida: Trinidad (also tropical South America). Aiphanes minima: Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Martinique, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Barbados and Grenada.
Astrocaryum
Astrocaryum is a genus of spiny palms native to Mexico, Trinidad, Central and South America; the sharp, flattened spines that cover the trunk can be up to 30 cm (12 inches) long. The Caribbean species has solitary stems, 8 to 20 metres (26 to 66 ft) tall. There are about 36 species in the genus. One of them, A. aculeatum, occurs in the insular Caribbean, while four others are found in the wider Caribbean: Astrocaryum alatum on the Caribbean coast from Panama to Nicaragua, A. confertum on the Caribbean coast of Panama and Costa Rica, A. mexicanum along the Caribbean coast from Mexico to Nicaragua, and A. standleyanum on the Caribbean coast of Panama.
Astrocaryum aculeatum: Trinidad (also tropical South America).
Attalea
Attalea is a large genus which includes some of the largest Neotropical palms. Three of the 67 species are present in the insular Caribbean, but two of these are restricted to Trinidad and Tobago which is on the continental shelf. The third species, A. crassispantha, is endemic to southwest Haiti; due to its very small population size, it is classified as a critically endangered species Three other species occur in the wider Caribbean: Attalea allenii along the Caribbean coast of Panama and Colombia, A. cohune on the Caribbean coast from Mexico to Nicaragua and A. iguadummat on the Caribbean coast of Panama. Attalea crassispatha: southwest Haiti. Attalea maripa: Trinidad (also tropical South America). Attalea osmantha: Trinidad and Tobago (also northern Venezuela).
Bactris
Bactris is a genus of palms which is found from southern Mexico to northern Paraguay. It is one of the largest and most diverse palm genera in the neotropics. Most species are medium-sized spiny palms with clustered stems. Most of the species present in the Caribbean are spiny trees 1 to 10 metres (3 to 33 ft) tall with clustered stems and pinnate leaves; B simplicifrons is smaller (0.5–2 m) and often has simple leaves and no spines.
Seven of the 75 species in the genus Bactris occur in the insular Caribbean. Three species - B. cubensis, B. jamaicana and B. plumeriana are Greater Antillean endemics, while the other four are South American species which extend north into Trinidad and Tobago. Salzman and Judd consider the three Greater Antillean species of Bactris to form a clade with B. plumeriana and B. jamaicana as sister species. Fifteen other species occur in the wider Caribbean: Bactris barronis on the Caribbean coast of Panama and Colombia, B. caudata on the Caribbean coast from Nicaragua to Panama, B. charnleyae on the Caribbean coast of Panama, B. coloniata on the Caribbean coast of Panama, B. coloradonis on the Caribbean coast from Costa Rica to Colombia, B. gasipaes on the Caribbean coast from Mexico to Venezuela, B. glandulosa on the Caribbean coast from Costa Rica, to Colombia, B. gracilor on the Caribbean coast from Nicaragua, to Panama, B. grayumi on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, B. guineensis on the Caribbean coast of Colombia and Venezuela, B. hondurensis along the Caribbean coast from Honduras to Colombia, B. maraja along the Caribbean coast from Costa Rica to Colombia, B. mexicana along the Caribbean coast from Belize to Nicaragua, B. militaris along the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and B. panamensis along the Caribbean coast of Panama.
Bactris campestris: Trinidad and Tobago (also tropical South America). Bactris cubensis: eastern Cuba. Bactris jamaicana: Jamaica. Bactris major:; Trinidad and Tobago (also Mexico to tropical South America). Bactris plumeriana: Hispaniola. Bactris setulosa: Trinidad and Tobago (also Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru). Bactris simplicifrons: Trinidad and Tobago (also tropical South America).
Calyptronoma
Palms in the genus Calyptronoma have pinnately compound leaves and large, solitary stems 4 to 15 metres (13 to 49 ft) tall. The genus is endemic to the Greater Antilles, inhabiting wet areas near streams. Calyptronoma is closely related to the Central American genus Calyptrogyne.
Calyptronoma occidentalis: Jamaica. Calyptronoma plumeriana: Cuba and Hispaniola. Calyptronoma rivalis: Hispaniola and Puerto Rico.
Coccothrinax
Coccothrinax is a genus of fan palms found throughout the Caribbean and in adjacent parts of southern Florida and Mexico. Most species are small to medium-sized, with maximum heights between 5 and 15 metres (17 and 49 ft). Only one of the 55 species, C. readii, is absent from the insular Caribbean. Two species, C. argentata and C. barbadensis, are widespread, while most of the others are restricted to Cuba and Hispaniola.
Coccothrinax acuminata: Cuba. Coccothrinax acunana: Pico Turquino, Cuba. Coccothrinax alexandri:; ; east Cuba. Coccothrinax alta: Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Coccothrinax argentata: Bahamas, Florida Keys and San Andrés Island (also south Florida and southeast Mexico). Coccothrinax argentea: Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Coccothrinax baracoensis: southeast Cuba. Coccothrinax barbadensis: Leeward Islands, Windward Islands, Netherlands Antilles and Trinidad and Tobago. Coccothrinax bermudezii: southeast Cuba. Coccothrinax borhidiana: Matanzas Province, Cuba. Coccothrinax boschiana: Dominican Republic. Coccothrinax camagueyana: east central Cuba. Coccothrinax clarensis:; ; ; east Cuba. Coccothrinax concolor: Haiti. Coccothrinax crinita:; ; Cuba. Coccothrinax cupularis: south Cuba. Coccothrinax ekmanii: Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Coccothrinax elegans: Cuba. Coccothrinax fagildei: Cuba. Coccothrinax fragrans: east Cuba and Haiti. Coccothrinax garciana: Holguín Province, Cuba. Coccothrinax gracilis: Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Coccothrinax guantanamensis: east Cuba. Coccothrinax gundlachii: central and east Cuba. Coccothrinax hioramii: east Cuba. Coccothrinax inaguensis: Bahamas. Coccothrinax jamaicensis: Jamaica. Coccothrinax jimenezii: Hispaniola Coccothrinax leonis: Cuba. Coccothrinax litoralis: Cuba. Coccothrinax macroglossa: east Cuba. Coccothrinax microphylla: east Cuba. Coccothrinax miraguama: Cuba. Coccothrinax moaensis: east Cuba. Coccothrinax montana: Haiti. Coccothrinax munizii: east Cuba. Coccothrinax muricata: east central Cuba. Coccothrinax nipensis: east Cuba. Coccothrinax orientalis: east Cuba. Coccothrinax pauciramosa: east Cuba. Coccothrinax proctorii: Cayman Islands. Coccothrinax pseudorigida: east central Cuba. Coccothrinax pumila: Cuba. Coccothrinax rigida: east Cuba. Coccothrinax salvatoris: east and east central Cuba. Coccothrinax saxicola: east Cuba. Coccothrinax scoparia: Haiti. Coccothrinax spirituana: Cuba. Coccothrinax spissa: Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Coccothrinax torrida: Cuba. Coccothrinax trinitensis: east central Cuba. Coccothrinax victorinii: east Cuba. Coccothrinax yunquensis: south Cuba. Coccothrinax yuraguana: west Cuba.
Colpothrinax
Colpothrinax is a genus of solitary-stemmed palmate-leaved palms native to Central America and the Caribbean. There are three species of Colpothrinax: C. aphanopetala and C. cookii which are restricted to Central America, and C. wrightii which is a Cuban endemic. Colpothrinax wrightii: southwest Cuba including the Isle of Youth.
Copernicia
Copernicia is a moderately large genus of spiny, fan palms found in the Caribbean and South America. The Caribbean species are all Greater Antillean endemics; two species are restricted to Hispaniola, while the others are restricted to Cuba. Three species are absent from the insular Caribbean: C. alba and C. prunifera, which are found in South America away from the Caribbean, and C. tectorum which is found in northern Venezuela and along the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Copernicia baileyana: east and central Cuba. Copernicia berteroana: Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Copernicia brittonorum: west and west central Cuba. Copernicia × burretiana: Cuba. Copernicia cowellii: Camagüey Province, Cuba. Copernicia curbeloi: Cuba. Copernicia curtissii: Cuba. Copernicia ekmanii: northern Haiti. Copernicia × escarzana: Cuba. Copernicia fallaensis: Cuba. Copernicia gigas: east Cuba. Copernicia glabrescens: west and west central Cuba. Copernicia hospita: Cuba. Copernicia humicola: Cuba.