Areca Palm

Dypsis lutescensButterfly Palms

The Areca Palm, native to Madagascar, is one of the most popular indoor houseplants sold today. Indoors it is a medium sized exotic looking plant that usually reaches a height of 6-8 feet; outdoors it may be as tall as 25 feet. The Areca Palm gets its nickname, the Butterfly Palm, because its long feathery fronds (leaves) arch upwards off of multiple reed like stems. Each frond has between 40-60 leaflets on it. When first bought, Areca Palms are a delight; they are inexpensive good-sized plants with beautiful green upright fronds. However, over time, no matter how attentive you are to the plant’s needs, the overall appearance of an Areca Palm often diminishes; the older bottom fronds turn yellow and the larger fronds droop and bend.