Habit: Caryota mitis grows as an unbranched tree to 10 meters with a trunk to 15 cm wide. Multiple trunks will emerge from a single base forming a cluster. The twice pinnately compound leaves are arranged spirally. The leaf blade is up to 3 m in length, with 10-15 pairs of leaflets subdivided in up to 20 subleaflets. Each subleaflet fan/fishtail in shape, wider toward the notched/fringed/divided apex.
Caryota mitis is monoecious with incomplete, imperfect actinomorphic flowers arranged in pendulant, axillary panicles up to 60 cm in length. The flowers occur in groups of three each with 2 staminate flowers and a 1 carpellate flower. The calyx has 3 sepals that are fused at the base forming a shallow cup. The corolla has 3 unfused petals. There are 6 to many stamens and the carpel has 3 locule. The fruit is a red drupe becoming black at maturity.
Caryota mitis is monocarpic and each trunk dies back after their final fruits have matured.
Habitat: Caryota mitis grows in the Bahamas in Human Altered environments (yards, gardens).
Distribution: Caryota mitis is not native to the Lucayan Archipelago. Its native range is the eastern Indian subcontinent and southeast Asia.
Economic/Medicinal/Cultural usage: Caryota mitis is not known to be used medicinally in the Bahama.
Caryota mitis is grown as an ornamental. It also escapes cultivation and is considered an invasive species in many countries.
The ingestion the fruits can cause harm to humans and other mammals due to high levels of calcium oxalate.