Areca vestiaria

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Young Plant in Hawaii
Trunk Detail
Eye Candy

Areca vestiaria grows naturally in low mountainous terrain up to an elevation of 1200 meters in the rain forests of eastern Indonesia.

DESCRIPTION

It would be hard to find a more morphologically diverse species in the palm kingdom. This gorgeous palm varies from a profusely suckering red crownshafted plant with maroon leaves, to a single trunked orange version with green leaves, and everything in between. And oddly enough all of these variations may come from seeds of the same palm. It has been reported that there is substantial color variation depending on elevation, with the more colorful plants coming from higher elevations. The clumping variety will attain widths up to 15 ft. and heights of 20-25 ft. It will often times exhibit distinct arial or stilt roots emerging from 3-4in. diameter trunks. These palms are monoceious with small yellow/orange flowers emerging from beneath the crownshaft that bear orange to dark red ovoid fruit similar to Areca catechu.

CULTURE

Although tropical in nature, this palm appears able to withstand low temperatures, just not for weeks or months on end, often times surviving until late January in So. California before succumbing. It could probably survive close to nightime freezing if the days remained on the warm side, as is often the case in parts of Florida. They prefer a sheltered, consistently moist and humid location, with more shade in less humid environments. A rich well draining soil would appear to be the best. It fruits profusely at a young age, and the seeds volunteer easily. The rate of growth can be surprisingly quick when given suitable growing conditions. SZS=7-8