PlantMap
← Back to list

Chrysalidocarpus lutescens H.Wendl.

Areca palm

Native records: 1 botanical areas

Madagascar

See all areas

Natural distribution

Explore map
NativeIntroducedUncertain

Distribution is shown as WGSRPD Level 3 areas. It does not imply the species occurs throughout an entire area.

Last updated:

Distribution last verified:

See sources

Photograph of Chrysalidocarpus lutescens

An evergreen clustering palm native to Madagascar, sending up many slender, yellow-green cane-like stems from the base with arching, feather-shaped fronds. One of the most popular palms grown as a houseplant worldwide.

Description

A clump-forming palm that produces numerous cane-like stems from the base and can reach 6–10 m tall outdoors. The slender, ringed stems are yellow to yellowish-green and somewhat resemble bamboo, while the arching pinnate fronds are made up of many narrow leaflets, with the leaf stalks and young stems tinged yellow. It bears small yellow flowers in branched inflorescences, followed by small fruits that ripen from yellow to purple-black. Shade-tolerant and easy to grow indoors, it is traded worldwide as a potted foliage plant. Although endangered in its native range, it has naturalised widely across the tropics through cultivation.

Habitat

Native to a narrow coastal strip of eastern Madagascar, where it grows in littoral forest on white sand and in heath-like vegetation on sand or rock. It persists in secondary growth and can be locally common, but its wild habitat is restricted and the species is considered endangered in the wild.

Distribution areas

  • Anguilla

    • Leeward Is. AB AntIntroduced

  • Antigua and Barbuda

    • Leeward Is. AB AntIntroduced

  • Bangladesh

    • BangladeshIntroduced

  • Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba

    • Leeward Is. AB AntIntroduced

  • Comoros

    • ComorosIntroduced

  • Dominican Republic

    • Dominican RepublicIntroduced

  • El Salvador

    • El SalvadorIntroduced

  • Guadeloupe

    • Leeward Is. AB AntIntroduced

  • Haiti

    • HaitiIntroduced

  • India

    • Andaman Is.Introduced
    • AssamIntroduced

  • Jamaica

    • JamaicaIntroduced

  • Madagascar

    • MadagascarNative

  • Mayotte

    • ComorosIntroduced

  • Montserrat

    • Leeward Is. AB AntIntroduced

  • Myanmar

    • Andaman Is.Introduced

  • Puerto Rico

    • HaitiIntroduced
    • Puerto RicoIntroduced

  • Réunion

    • RéunionIntroduced

  • Saint Barthélemy

    • Leeward Is. AB AntIntroduced

  • Saint Kitts and Nevis

    • Leeward Is. AB AntIntroduced

  • Saint Martin (French part)

    • Leeward Is. AB AntIntroduced

  • Sint Maarten (Dutch part)

    • Leeward Is. AB AntIntroduced

  • Trinidad and Tobago

    • Trinidad-TobagoIntroduced

  • Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of

    • Leeward Is. AB AntIntroduced
    • Venezuelan AntillesIntroduced

  • Virgin Islands (British)

    • Leeward Is. AB AntIntroduced

  • Virgin Islands (U.S.)

    • Leeward Is. AB AntIntroduced

Climate of the native range

The Köppen climate classes found in the areas this plant is recorded as native to. It does not mean an entire area has that climate.

  • Aw Tropical, savannah
  • Cwa Temperate, dry winter, hot summer
  • Cwb Temperate, dry winter, warm summer
  • BSh Arid, steppe, hot

The same climate occurs in 80 areas worldwide, 74 of which have no record of this plant. See them on the map

A matching climate does not mean the plant can grow there. Range limits are also set by things other than climate — dispersal history, soils, competition. Source: Beck et al. (2023), CC BY 4.0 (observed period 1991–2020).

Other names

Areca palm、Golden cane palm、Butterfly palm、Yellow palm

Family
Arecaceae
Genus
Chrysalidocarpus

Other species in Chrysalidocarpus

Sources

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Anguilla · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Antigua and Barbuda · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Bangladesh · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Saint Barthélemy · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Comoros · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Dominican Republic · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Guadeloupe · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Haiti · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    India · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Jamaica · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Saint Kitts and Nevis · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Saint Martin (French part) · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Madagascar · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Myanmar · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Montserrat · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Mayotte · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Puerto Rico · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Réunion · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    El Salvador · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Sint Maarten (Dutch part) · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Trinidad and Tobago · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Virgin Islands (British) · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

  • World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), version 2026-06-04

    Virgin Islands (U.S.) · Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew · wcvp_distribution.csv

    Open source

Image information