Palms For California

Pronunciation: DIP-siss loo-TESS-enz

Common Name: Areca Palm, Butterfly Palm

Dypsis lutescens may be one of the most commonly available palms in southern California, but a mature specimen rarely fails to impress observers. This Madagascan palm is often sold as indoor palm in garden outlet centers, but in fact tends to be a poor palm for such situations (needs too much light to be happy indoors). It is a densely suckering palm, often used for visual screens in Hawaii and south Florida where it grows VERY fast and some consider this a weed. However, it grows MUCH more slowly in California and does NOT make a good visual barrier, but is still fantastic looking plant.

Synonym: Chrysalidocarpus lutescens

Appearance and Biology Habit: suckering with a crown of about 5-7 arching leaves Height: 20' tall Trunk: multiple (new shoots constantly growing); strongly ringed, yellow-green to woody; often arching outward form the center of the plant; 4" thick Crownshaft: 18" long; pale green to yellow-orange with age (before leaf falls off); slightly wider than trunk Spread: 8'-20'+ Leaf Description: pinnate; strongly recurved with upright leaflets, often with a characteristic bend near their tips (particularly in tropical situations); 4'-5' long; light green to yellowish with age of leaf Petiole/Leaf bases: 1' long; nearly tubular; unarmed; yellowish near base where it gets a speckled look and sometimes has sparse black fuzz Reproduction: monoecious Inflorescence: arising right below crownshaft, arching downward 1'-2' long and somewhat branched, yellow flowers (separate female and male on same inflorescence) Fruit: 1" diameter, nearly spherical and green to yellow-orange with mature

Horticultural Characteristics Minimum Temp: 26F Drought Tolerance: moderate Dry Heat Tolerance: moderate to good Cool Tolerance: moderate Wind Tolerance: moderate Salt Tolerance: moderate Growth Rate: slow to moderate with age Soil Preference: very adaptable to variety of soils Light Requirement: full to partial sun Human Hazards: none Disease or Horticultural Problems: tendency to have potassium deficiency in some soils Transplants?: fairly good Indoor?: relatively poor, though tried over and over again Availability: very commonly available