Roystonea regia, Royal Palm

Botanical Garden Rio de Janeiro, Avenue of Imperial Palms

Jardim Botanico: Alameda das Palmeiras Imperiais

William Bell's Stereograph taken on the 1882 Transit of Venus Expedition

The Imperial or Royal Palm (Roystonea regia) is a tall stately species with a crown of feathery fronds. The species is native to Cuba and is found in most tropical regions of the world but will grow in cooler climates even as far south as Sydney. Growth can be slow in cool climates and seed may take up to 5 months to germinate

The Botanical Garden of Rio was founded in 1808 by King John VI of Portugal and opened to the public in 1822 It is one of the world's greatest tropical gardens having a collection of more than 7000 species of plants. For reference I visited the World Digital Library http://www.wdl.org/