Pseudophoenix ekmanii

Pseudophoenix ekmanii is a palm species endemic to the Barahona Peninsula and Isla Beata in the Dominican Republic on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola.^[2]

Pseudophoenix ekmanii
Conservation status
Critically Endangered  (IUCN 2.3)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Arecales
Family:	Arecaceae
Genus:	Pseudophoenix
Species:	P. ekmanii
Binomial name
Pseudophoenix ekmanii Burret

Names

In Dominican Spanish, P. ekmanii is known as cacheo or cacheo de Oviedo.^[3][4] In English, the species is usually referred to as the Dominican cherry palm.^[5]

Description

It is a small tree (4 to 6 m tall), with pinnately compound leaves and solitary, swollen stems. The fruit are reddish with a diameter of about 2 cm.^[6]

Conservation

P. ekmanii was once used in palm wine production. Trees were cut down and the pith extracted, especially from the swollen portion of the stem. The sap was then extracted and fermented.^[3][6] As a consequence of this cutting for palm wine production, the species is considered Critically Endangered. Current threats include habitat loss from grazing and agriculture.^[1]