The Botanical Gardens of Nevis hold an important collection of palms with over 100 species located throughout the gardens. The Garden Entrance is through an elegant avenue of Royal Palms (Roystonea regia) leading to the landscaped lawns.

Other highlights include the beautiful Bismarck Palm (Bismarckia nobilis), now becoming extinct in its native Madagascar; the Cuban Old Man Palm (Coccothrinax crinita), well-known for its trunk covered in a thick layer of wool-like fibers; and the strikingly beautiful Sealing Wax or Lipstick Palm (Cyrtostachys renda) with its vibrant red crownshaft and lovely fronds.

The Golden Latan Palm (Latania verschaffeltii) is another species under threat in its place of origin, Rodrigues Island in the Mascarenes in the Indian Ocean. Here it thrives on Nevisian soil.

Ravenala madagascariensis, commonly known as the Traveler’s Tree or Traveler’s Palm, is from Madagascar. The sheaths of the stems hold rainwater, which can be used as an emergency drinking supply. It is not a true palm but a member of the bird-of-paradise family, Strelitziaceae.