Dypsis lutescens (H. Wendl.) Beentje & J. Dransf., Arecaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Evaluate, score: 2 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Chrysalidocarpus lutescens H. Wendl.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: areca palm, butterfly palm, cane palm, golden-yellow palm, yellow butterfly palm, yellow palm

Spanish: palma enana

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Sex: Dioecious.  Trunk: Up to 25-30 ft. high, 4-6 in. diameter; several to many; surmounted by crownshaft.  Petiole: 2 ft. long; deep furrowed; expanded at base; yellow.  Leaf: Pinnate, 6-8 ft. long, 3 ft. wide; arching; 40-60 pairs of leaflets.  Leaflets: 1/2 in. broad, but firm, with ends not drooping.  Flowerstalk: Among leaves; much branched.  Fruit: 3/4 in. long; obloid; violet-black.

"It grows in dense clusters, throwing off many extra trunks as suckers.  The leaves are arched and the leaflets, firm, the feathery foliage usually running to the ground and obscuring the trunk" (McCurrach, 1960; p 46).

Habitat/ecology:  Commonly sold as an ornamental plant (McCurrach, 1960; p 46). "Prefers plenty of moisture and full to filtered sun" (Staples & Herbst, 2005; p. 622).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Madagascar (GRIN)

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) San Cristóbal Group	San Cristóbal Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island		Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim (1998) (p. 7)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawaiian Islands	introduced cultivated	Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral/Imada, Clyde T. (2000) (p. 16)
Japan (offshore islands) Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	introduced	Kato, Hidetoshi (2007)

Additional information:  Additional online information about Dypsis lutescens is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Taxonomic information about Dypsis lutescens may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Charles Darwin Research Station. 2005. CDRS Herbarium records.

Kato, Hidetoshi. 2007. Herbarium records of Makino Herbarium, Tokyo Metropolitan University. Personal communication.

Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim. 1998. Checklist of the plants of Pohnpei. Unpublished checklist. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Hawai‘i. 21 pp.

McCurrach, J. C. 1960. Palms of the world. Harper, New York.

Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. 2005. A tropical garden flora: plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 908 pp.

Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral/Imada, Clyde T. 2000. Survey of invasive or potentially invasive cultivated plants in Hawai‘i. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers No. 65. 35 pp.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.