The Areca Palm, scientific name Dypsis lutescens (synonym: Chrysalidocarpus Lutescens) is a beautiful palm tree from Madagascar. This plant is also known as Butterfly Palm, Yellow Palm, Golden Cane Palm, Madagascar palm and Areca Lutescens. It is a common ornamental in subtropical and tropical regions around the world found in humid tropical forests from Malaysia to the Solomon Islands. Probably it is the most cultivated nursery palm tree. However, it is endangered and very rare in its natural habitat Madagascar.
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| Areca Palm (Full grown tree) |
The Areca palm is a low maintenance plant and a fast grower. You can grow this exotic plant as a house plant. It will bring a tropical touch into your home and purify the air. The Areca is consistently rated among the best houseplants for removing all indoor air toxins. It can remove Xylene (654 micrograms per hour) and Formaldehyde (938 micrograms per hour).
The graceful Areca Palm tends to grow in clumps. The adult plant looks like a large bush that can reach 20 feet or more in height with a spread of 5-10 feet. As a houseplant it is usually grown much smaller.
The Areca Palm germinates easily and rapidly from fresh seeds and by divisions of clumps.
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| Areca Palm as a houseplant |
The adult palm has several smooth, bamboo-like trunks that gently lean away from each other. Young plant has reedy stems. The multi-trunked specimen plant has attractive long gracefully arching feather-shaped fronds. The shrub-like plant bears small yellowish white flowers in spring and summer and forms small orange-yellow fruits.
These plants grow well in the sun. They need year-round warmth and ample humidity.
