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Areca Palm Dypsis lutescens
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 « Return |
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| Exposure |
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Sun |
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| Average Height x Width |
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10’ T x 6’W |
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| Typical Height |
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20’ |
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| Water Requirements |
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Water regularly as needed |
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| Spacing |
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6’ apart |
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| Cold Hardiness |
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30° - 40° F |
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| Hardiness Zone |
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10B - 11 |
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| Growth Rate |
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Moderate |
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| Origin |
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Madagascar |
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| Salt Tolerance |
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Moderate |
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| Drought Tolerance |
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High |
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| Soil Requirements |
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Widely adaptable |
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| Light Requirements |
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Moderate, high |
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| Nutritional Requirements |
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High |
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| Uses |
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Shrub, hedge, specimen plant |
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| Propagation |
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Seed, germination in 2 months or less when fresh; division |
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| Human Hazards |
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None |
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| Major Pest Problems |
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Catepillars, mealybugs, banana moth |
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| Major Disease Problems |
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Potassium deficiency (Florida), gliocladium blight, phytophthora bud rot, ganoderma, graphiola false |
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The Areca Palm is so widely planted throughout subtropical and tropical climates, it is often treated with contempt by palm enthusiasts. Despite its ubiquity in cultivation, the spacies is much rarer in its native Madagascar. Though most often thickly planted as a screen or boundary hedge, Areca Palms can make an attractive specimen in time when a measure of clear trunk is achieved, and the cluster is opened up by judicious thinning out of some stems. Unfortunately, containerized specimens are usually produced by potting numerous seedlings together which, when planted in the landscape form dense and frequently stunted clusters. On soils with low fertility, the foliage is usually marred with nutritional deficiencies, but with regular fertilization, the leaflets will hold a medium green colorization and contrasts nicely with the naturally yellow-tinged leafstems. Arecas are also widely produced for the foliage plant market, but suffer in dim light and low humidity. |
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