Areca Palm Tree Description
The Areca Palm Tree, scientific name Chrysalidocarpus lutescens or Dypsis lutescens, is one of the most popular palms in tropical and subtropical climates because of its beautiful appearance and low maintenance. The Areca Palm is also known as Butterfly Palm, Cane Palm, Madagascar Palm, Golden Feather Palm, and Yellow Palm.
Dypsis lutescens is a large palm tree that can grow up to 20ft tall and 15ft wide. It tree grows in clusters forming think clumps of many stems. The Areca Palm has a smooth silver-green trunks, which are topped with arching feather shaped fronds.
There are usually around six to egith yellow-green leaves on long petioles curve upwards creating a butterfly look. That is why Areca Palm is often referred to as a Butterfly Palm. The Areca Palm has pinnate type leaves that can grow up to 5-7ft long. Each leaf has around 90-110 leaflets arranged in a V shape.
Mature palms have ringed cane-like trunks which has similar characteristics to the Bamboo Palm. The Areca Palm is also often called Golden Cane Palm because of the yellow colored petioles.
During late spring or early summer, the Areca Palm produces small bright yellow flowers that grow from below the leaves. It has male and female flowers on the same inflorescence. After few months of blooming, flowers are followed by light green to yellow fruits that turn yellow-orange when ripe. Fruits have oval shape and are around 1 inch in diameter. Although they look pretty, they are not edible.
The Areca Palm is very popular indoor plant that can also be used outdoors to create a natural privacy wall or privacy fence.
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It is time to protect your palm trees from cold! To avoid the cold damage, I spray my palms with 
A lot of palm trees die from fertilizer root burn and nutritional deficiencies. To avoid these problems, use fertilizer that has continues release formula, which feeds your palm tree for few months, rather than using a cheap fertilizer that will wash away after 2-3 rains.
I personally use 