About the Areca Palm Tree

Physical Characteristics

• When fully mature, areca palms are 20 to 30 feet tall and have a spread of 8 to 10 feet. An areca palm's leaves, also known as fronds, range from medium green to greenish-yellow. These trees produce multiple, bamboo-like trunks that form an upward arch, rather than growing straight. The bark on areca palms is thin and silvery. The areca tree produces white flowers and fruit throughout the year. Areca tree flowers are white and the tree's fruits are black. The inedible fruits on an areca palm grow 1 inch in diameter.

Growth Requirements

• Areca palms do not require lots of maintenance when they mature, but do need approximately four hours of sunlight for the best growth in the first several years of their lives. Indoors, a bright light serves as a substitute for sunlight. Place indoor areca plants 4 to 8 feet away from windows for light exposure. Areca palms prefer acidic, well-drained soils and daily watering during dry spells. In the U.S., areca palms grow in United States Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone 11. This limits areca palm cultivation to Florida, Hawaii and Southern California.

Diseases

• Like other plants, areca palm trees are not immune to diseases. Areca palms are susceptible to root rot if the tree is over watered, and heavy fertilization may result in yellowing the tree's leaves. Areca palms sometimes experience spotting on their leaves. This results from a fungal infection caused by potassium deficiency. Addition of fertilizer is the best way to alleviate the tree's deficiency problems. If an areca palm displays sheaths with a sooty appearance, it is a natural occurrence and not a sign of disease.

Classification

• The Arecaceae family of flowering plants represents over 3,000 tree species. The majority of Arecaceae plants are palm trees such as coconut palms, nut palms and royal palms. Some common traits areca palms share with other Arecaceae trees are the palm's small flower stalks, thin leaves and bamboo-like trunks. Also, most Arecaceae trees require sub-tropical or tropical climates for growth, similarly to the areca palm tree. In the wild, palm trees usually exist in rainforests and arid, desert environments.