A synopsis of the palms of Puerto Rico

The author compiles systematic notes on the island's palms, offering identification guidance, a key to families, and species accounts that prioritize external, vegetative, habitat, and geographic characters for practical diagnostics. The essay critiques prevailing taxonomic practices and the difficulty of working from dried material, arguing that vegetative and ecological features often suffice for local identification. It lists native and introduced taxa, documents restricted distributions across the island, and touches on economic uses. Field observations and photographs support the account, which also reports biological curiosities such as root tubercles that may reflect associations with soil organisms.