Areca laosensis

Areca (ah-REHK-ah) laosensis (lah-ohs-EN-sis)
Thailand.
Scientific Classification
Genus: Areca (ah-REHK-ah) Species: laosensis (lah-ohs-EN-sis)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
Asia
Morphology
Habit: Clustering Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
Chocolate Palm, Thai. names, Mak cha-wax, Mak lor-ka-tern.

Habitat and Distribution

Areca laosensis is found in Laos, and

Cambodia. Photo by Clayton York, Utopia Palms & Cycads

Thailand.

Description

A little-known species native to rainforests on the Laos, Thailand boarder, also can be found in Cambodia. It grows a thin, ringed, smooth reddish trunk (often clusters to three stems), to about 5 m (16 ft.) tall, a spread of 2 m, with a green crownshaft, topped by a small crown of sparsely pinnate leaves, inflorescence is a pinkish-yellow. Fruit: 1-3.5 cm. in diam. Editing by edric.

Solitary or clustering palm tree up to 4 m tall. Stem c. 1.5–2.5 cm diam. Leaf petiole short, c. 10 cm long or less; rachis short probably not more than 1 m long, with few iregulalry spaced pinnae. Inflorescence branched to second order with more than 15, spirally arranged, yellowish green, first order branches. Male flowers mostly inserted in pairs, with 6 stamens. Fruit rather large to 3.5 cm long. (Palms of Thailand)

Culture

Sun Requirements: Partial shade to full shade, Soil Requirements: Moist and well drained. Cold Hardiness Zone: 10b.

Comments and Curiosities

General description: Solitary or clustering palm tree up to 4 m tall. Stem c. 1.5–2.5 cm diam. Leaf petiole short, c. 10 cm long or less; rachis short probably not more than 1 m long, with few iregulalry spaced pinnae. Inflorescence branched to second order with more than 15, spirally arranged, yellowish green, first order branches. Male flowers mostly inserted in pairs, with 6 stamens. Fruit rather large to 3.5 cm long.

Conservation status: Status unknown, but probably not threatened.

Taxon biology: Little known species, which may intergrade morphologically into Areca triandra. Apart from the Thai specimens it is known only from two old historical specimens from southern Laos and Vietnam in 1877 and 1923 respectively. Hodel (1998) mentions that this species has been sighted in East Thailand. Henderson (2009) suggests it may be a hybrid between A. catechu and A. triandra combining the 6 stamens of the former with the paired male flowers of the latter (A. catechu having solitary male flowers throughout).

Distribution: Global — Laos (type), Vietnam.

Thailand — NORTHERN: Chiang Mai, Lampang; CENTRAL: Nakhon Nayok; SOUTH-EASTERN: Chanthaburi, Trat. (Palms of Thailand)