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

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat 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 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) Isabela Group	Isabela Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Isabela Group	Volcán Sierra Negra, Isabela Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) San Cristóbal Group	San Cristóbal Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island		Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim (1998) (p. 7)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Fatu Hiva Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2008)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2008)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Ua Huka (Huahuna, Uahuka) Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2008)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Ua Pou (Huapu, Uapou, Uapu) Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2008)
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)
Wallis and Futuna Wallis and Futuna (Horne) Islands	Wallis (‘Uvea) Island	introduced cultivated	Meyer, Jean-Yves (2007) (p. 29)

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

Information about Dypsis lutescens as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

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

Other Latin names:  Chrysalidocarpus lutescens H. Wendl.

References:

Charles Darwin Foundation. 2008. Database inventory of introduced plant species in the rural and urban zones of Galapagos. Charles Darwin Foundation, Galapagos, Ecuador.

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.

Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. 2008. Flora of the Marquesas Islands. National Tropical Botanical Garden and the Smithsonian Institution. Online database.

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

Meyer, Jean-Yves. 2007. Rapport de mission sur l'Ile d'Uvea (Wallis & Futuna) du 6 au 17 Novembre 2007: Inventaire preliminaire de la flore vasculaire secondaire [unpublished report]. Délégation à la Recherche, Ministère de l'Education, l'Enseignement Supérieur et la Recherche, B.P. 20981 Papeete, Tahiti, Polynésie française. 39 pp.

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. 2009. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.