Areca Palm, Golden Cane Palm, Yellow Bamboo Palm

A long-running cultivation of Cane Palm has resulted in this palm being given numerous popular name. Areca is a reference to “cane palm,” it is not clear to whom this meaning is. The majority of the other names are likely derived from physical characteristics for instance, the yellow-colored color of the plant’s parts that is a result of excessive exposure to sunlight or nutritional shortages, or the bamboo- or cane-like look of the stems.

Description of Cane Palm

Areca palm is native to the eastern part of Madagascar and is threatened due to the disappearance of its natural habitat, which is in open spaces of forests with hydric elements as well as along the banks of rivers. In Florida as well as throughout all of the United States, areca palm is an established landscaping plant which thrives when the low temperature is between 35 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. It typically grows around 20 to 35 feet in height and has a spread from 10 to 20 feet. It’s tolerant of sunshine to some shade.

It is best suited to soils in areas that have ample water. The dark-green, yellowish green to leaflets, or fronds, which are pinnately compound, and grow from 6 to 8 feet long, and have an ovoid shape. Leaflets are two feet long in length, shaped like lances, and form a distinct “V” shape on the leaf due to the fact that they grow oppositely from each other in the middle of the light to orange green rachis. The trunk of the palm has multiple stems, and each stem measures approximately 2-3 inches wide. Rings that are tightly packed or leaf scars span the long length of the trunk and range in hue between yellow and orange to dark green. more light colors due to greater exposure to sunlight. The flower stalks that branch, which are yellow, appear from beneath the leaves and drop downwards. Each fruit is about one inch in length and is shaped as eggs. The fruits change into dark purple or black with the maturation.

Applications of Cane Palm

Horticultural

It can be planted indoors and outside. When it’s grown outside it will add interest to the landscaping or create an ideal natural fence. The general rule is that it is best to plant it during the dry summer season in order in order to let its roots grow fully and the branches to grow. If used as an accent plant the areca palms could be cultivated in groups, with the lower fronds cut to expose the beautiful stems in order to avoid fungus and insects from infesting. The palms can be planted in groups which are 10 feet from each other. In the end, the clusters form a screening as they grow, and the frosts expand across the horizontal. Certain experts in horticulture recommend fertilizing the palm on a regular basis in order to maintain its green color; However, it is also an inherent feature of the plant that can be controlled in a small degree by shading.