Sabal mauritiiformis

This plant is a solitary palm tree native from Mexico to Venezuela and Trinidad. Its slender, gray, ringed trunk carries a crown of deeply divided fan-shaped leaves with strongly drooping tips. Large, densely branched inflorescences extend beyond the leaves, followed by small, round to pear-shaped black fruits. It grows in tropical rainforests and secondary vegetation, often on limestone. Its leaves are an important traditional roofing material in Colombia’s Caribbean region, used to thatch rural houses and tourist buildings. Photographed in Tolima, Colombia.