Difference between revisions of "Dypsis lutescens"

Latest revision as of 17:25, 20 September 2015

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

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-<center>'''Pronunciation''': DIP-siss  loo-TESS-enz
+<center>'''Pronunciation''': DIP-siss        loo-TESS-enz
 <br/>
 '''Common Name''': Areca Palm, Butterfly Palm
 </center>
-'''''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.  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.
+'''''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''
+<center>
 {| colspan="2" style="background: #FCFCFC; border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;" |
 | style="width: 50%; background: #f8e8df; border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;" |
@@ Line 19: / Line 21: @@
 *'''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
-*'''Seed''':
 | style="width: 50%; background: #f8e8df; border: 1px solid black; vertical-align: top;" |
 <div style="background: #e5a178; border: 1px solid black; padding: 5px; margin: 3px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; font-size: 120%;">Horticultural Characteristics</div>
@@ Line 26: / Line 27: @@
 *'''Drought Tolerance''':  moderate
 *'''Dry Heat Tolerance''': moderate to good
+*'''Cool Tolerance''': moderate
 *'''Wind Tolerance''': moderate
 *'''Salt Tolerance''': moderate
@@ Line 37: / Line 39: @@
 *'''Availability''': very commonly available
 |}
+{{#Widget:AdResBan}}
 <gallery>
-File:Dypsis lutescens Sull Luna.JPGVentura county, California
+File:Dypsis lutescens Sull Luna.JPG|Ventura county, California
 File:Dypsis lutescens Dickenson 1.jpg|Orange county, California
 File:Dypsis lutescens BHs nice.jpg|Los Angeles
@@ Line 60: / Line 63: @@
 File:Dypsis lutescens tall pair in Kona yard.jpg|Hawaii
 File:Dypsis lutescens wall lower plants Kona.jpg|close up Hawaiian plant screen
-File:Dypsis lutescens.jpg|
+File:Dypsis lutescens.jpg| Hawaii
 File:Dypsis lutescnes solitary.jpg|solitary plant
+File:Dypsis lutescens in fruit K.jpg|early fruits, Orange county, California
 File:DYPSIS LUTESCENS wispy NN.jpg|'wispy' form, Nong Nooch gardens, Thailand
 File:DYPsis LUTESCENS sHORT NN.jpg|shorty form, Nong Nooch gardens, Thailand
+File:Dypsis lutescens dwarf LB.jpg|Long Beach dwarf form, California
+File:Dypsis lutescens dwarf stems LB.jpg|stems on Long Beach dwarf
 File:Dypsis lutescens short golden NN.jpg|short golden form, Nong Nooch gardens, Thialand
 File:DYPSIS LUTESCENS GOLD NN2.jpg|golden form, Nong Nooch gardens, Thailand
@@ Line 70: / Line 76: @@
 File:DYPSIS LUTECENS SHUTTLECOCK1 NN.jpg|shuttlecock suckering form, Nong Nooch, Thailand
 </gallery>
+[[Category:Dypsis]]

Difference between revisions of "Dypsis lutescens"

Geoff Stein - Author & Editor

Latest revision as of 17:25, 20 September 2015