PlantFiles: Areca Palm, Butterfly Palm, Golden Cane Palm, Madagascar Palm
Dypsis lutescens

I am in the interiorscape business. We use alot of arecas because clients here want the tropical look. We refer to them as throw away palms. They are inexpensive to replace in accounts (alot of which are low light). I have found the 14" and larger do last longer. The 10" ......not so good. Inside they are too high maitanence for me. Clipping tips, they are also prone to mites and mealey. Outside is different. They do get very large. I see alot of arecas that have not been maintained and to me look unsightly, but if kept up are very nice.

Native of Madagascar.

I planted a two gallon clump in June 2006. They have done great despite the coldest winter in nearly ten years in the bay area. They need to be placed where they are protected from frost such as under a tree or overhang and where it accumulates warm summer temps. Maybe the most beautiful small palm for the mild climate areas.

Edit April 07: Oh, i spoke waaaay to soon. They now look terrible,although all six stems have survived, only three have fronds-and it's one apiece. I've been around long enough to not be fooled that badly-but they did go from fine to horrid in weeks-and well after the freeze of 07 ended.

I have an enormous version of this in the yard of my Florida home. They are very popular in Florida to use as hedges, and for landscaping because they grow so quickly and they look very tropical. We just planted two additional areca palms in our yard to add additional privacy.

The nursery suggested that smaller palms should not be planted in strong sunlight; it will burn the tender leaves and they will forever have a brown edge to them. Smaller plants should be shaded for some part of the day. Once they're fairly mature (about five feet or more) they can be planted in direct sun.

Also worth noting, especially if you live in a hot, tropical climate that these palms require maintenance. (This is nothing new to people who have palm trees - most palms require some maintenance.) Due to their dense nature, they drop a lot of fronds, and the culms look best when thinned out. But thinning a mature, wild looking areca isn't an easy or cheap proposition. When I had my palms professionally trimmed, I had quotes of $150 to $300 to trim just this one tree since it had not been trimmed for several years, maybe more than a decade. It's tricky and painstaking work to thin our and the culms, and usually requires someone experienced with these trees. The bamboo-like culms can grow very large in tropical climates and require a chainsaw to cut. Mine is about 30 feet high and it presently has more than two dozen culms.

Having said all that, I love these palms. They grow very dense, creating an excellent privacy hedge. They look very tropical and other than managing the fronds and getting them trimmed, they are not otherwise demanding in terms of water or soil.

We have three 25' specimen plants in the conservatory. Once the stalks mature they will bloom and set fruit continually. The seeds are better sown fresh, if the fruit dries out, the seeds will not germinate. It takes 90 days to germinate.

I've kept my Madagascar palm indoors for 3 years now. It's right in front of my back door in the kitchen. It doesnt seem to mind the drafts from outside. It's grown twice as big, occassionally a bottom leaf will yellow but can be pulled right off. Keep fairly moist in a large container. I mist mine daily for humidity, this plant will put up with almost anything! I also have mine in low light and the bronze coloring still shows through.

A pair of 25-footers flank our gates. Love the shadows of taller fronds over the lower ones. The fruit are particularly attractive to cuckoos. Easy to propagate from seed, and even the tiniest offsets.

This palm is often used as a tall sreening hedge in South Florida. Creates lots of yard work because it constantly drops fronds.

If you have this palm in your yard, after sometime, when it reaches 2-3m tall it will start producing fruits. Typical palm fruits, but with an orange, flesh edible coat over the seed. It tastes good, a bit too sweet, though, but worth a try. I never heard of it, and never tried it, but these fruits might be good for jellies or something.

On another note, I´ve been finding some specimens with ramifications on the top. These individuals are shorter, and have a more "full" looking than the regular palms. I don´t know what causes it, but if someone finds it out, may be an option to have in your garden.

The current name for this palm is Dypsis. Chrysalidocarpus is the old name. This is one of the more common palms you can buy at Home Depot and other outlet nurseries. It is not commonly grown outdoors in most areas of the US except perhaps Miami and parts of San Diego.. however it does well throughout most of Southern California. It is NOT an ideal indoor plant, though, as it really needs a lot of light. Here in So Cal, it does well as a specimen palm, suckering and arching nicely from a central point, with yellowish, ringed trunks and arching, ferny leaves.

Clustered non branching stems with fronds that are subdivided and arching. LIGHT:Medium to high. Does well near an east, west, or south window, filtered light, or location receiving 1000 footcandles or more. WATER: frequent. Water thoroughly, keep soil evenly moist to touch (not saturated). Don't let sit in water. TEMPERATURE:
Medium. 61 - 70 (degrees F) days, 56 - 65 nights. HUMIDITY:
Average FERTILIZER: Every 4 months SOIL MIX:1 part sterilized garden loam, 1 part clean coarse sand or Perlite, and 1/2 to 1 part sphagnum peat moss. PROPOGATION:
Division. SELECTION GUIDE: Select sturdy, shapely, healthy plant free from insect and disease damage. New leaf growth is desirable. Avoid those with yellow or brown leaf margins, wilted or water soaked leaves. CARE: Moderate. Lives well under average home conditions. Attractive with moderate maintenance. PROBLEMS:Root rot: Provide adequate drainage. Do not let plant sit in water.Spider mites: Wash with soapy water and apply miticide.