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Dipsis yellowish (Dypsis lutescens), better known as chrysalidocarpus yellowish (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens), and in the trade network as the Areca Palm, belongs to the Areca family (Arecaceae)... This is a representative of a new kind of dipsis (Dypsis) number of about 150 species, in which the genus Chrysalidocarpus was recently combined (Chrysalidocarpus) of 20 species and several more genera of palm trees.
It comes from the east coast of Madagascar, where these beautiful plants are now under threat of extinction, there are no more than 100 of them left. But at the same time it is one of the most common palms thanks to its long cultivation in tropical countries, as well as a pot plant around the world. Chrysalidocarpus perfectly naturalized in Jamaica, El Salvador, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Andaman and Antilles.
This is a multi-stemmed palm; daughter offspring grow from the base of the mother stem, forming a dense group of 3-20 plants. Each stem can reach 6-12 m in height and 10-12 cm in diameter. With age, the trunk becomes covered with scars from fallen leaves and outwardly becomes similar to bamboo.
The crown consists of a small number of leaves. They are arched, highly ascending, close to the stems, pinnate, 2-3 m long. On both sides of the rachis (central part of the leaf) they diverge, forming an obtuse angle, up to 40-100 leaves up to 70 cm long, located in one plane. The petioles of the leaves have a beautiful golden yellowish color, which gave the specific name to the plant. There are cultivars with bluish and greener petioles. They, like the bases of the stems, are covered with small black scales.
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Flowering occurs in spring or summer. The flowers are yellow, clustered in branched inflorescences that appear between the leaves. After pollination, small round yellow fruits are tied, serving as food for some species of birds. At home, flowering is extremely rare.
Chrysalidocarpus yellowish has been awarded an award by the Royal Horticultural Society for its attractive appearance. It gained even more popularity as a home and office plant after NASA's air purification experiments in the 1980s. It turned out that this palm tree is able to effectively filter xylene and toluene from the environment and is a good humidifier.
Of the most popular indoor palms (chrysalidocarpus, hovea and hamedorea), this species is perhaps the most difficult to keep. It cannot be recommended for landscaping offices and public places, where sometimes quite harsh external conditions develop. Areca is more suitable for growing in warm greenhouses and conservatories. In indoor conditions it grows well if you create the necessary conditions for it. It requires a lot of light, a large volume of air, even moderate heat all year round and high humidity. It is important to note that at any time of the year it is necessary to provide it with an influx of fresh air, avoiding direct drafts. Mature plants are already more resistant at home, attempts to grow small plants often end in failure.
Illumination... Areca can grow both in the open sun and in partial shade, but prefers bright, diffused light. Leaves may turn yellowish in direct sunlight. In the summer, it is useful to take it out into the open air in a place protected from the wind, under the light shade of trees. Indoors, the palm tree should be placed near south-facing windows. On hot days, it is necessary to provide good ventilation so that the plant does not overheat, and to increase the humidity of the air through frequent spraying of the leaves. Additional lighting is required in winter.
Temperature must be kept moderately warm throughout the year, the species is of tropical origin and does not tolerate cool conditions. In summer, the optimum temperature is + 22 + 25 ° C, in winter you can lower it to + 18 ° C. The inability to reduce the wintering temperature when there is little natural light, and causes the problems that arise when keeping this species at home, therefore it is necessary to provide the plant with additional light.
Air humidity high is required. Often this factor is the reason for failure when trying to grow areca at home. Spray the leaves and air next to the plant several times a day, you can use a humidifier, but do not place it next to the palm tree. Rinse the leaves with warm water regularly.
Watering regular and moderate. The palm tree does not tolerate the drying out of the root ball, but when the water stagnates in the pot, the roots rot. For irrigation, use warm, settled soft water. Watering is done from above when the top layer of the soil dries up. In winter, watering is slightly reduced.
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Priming for chrysalidocarpus - a ready-made commercial substrate for palm trees. To ensure good drainage throughout the volume, the mixture must contain perlite.
Transplants carried out only by careful transshipment, the palm tree reacts painfully to damage to the roots. Young specimens can be reloaded every year; in adults, the transplant is replaced by a partial replacement of the soil from above.
Top dressing should be applied from spring to autumn. In the autumn-winter time, they are continued, since the plant does not have a pronounced dormant period, but the doses of fertilizers are halved.
Reproduction possibly by sowing seeds and separating daughter offspring. Seeds sprout for a long time, within 2-4 months or more. For greater decorativeness, several seeds are sown in one pot at once.
At the base of the stems, daughter offspring grow from the adventitious buds, which can be carefully separated during plant transplantation.
Pests and diseases, possible problems... Areca can be affected by mealybugs, scale insects, ticks. How to deal with pests, read the article Pests of indoor plants and measures to combat them.
- From too dry air, cold content, the tips of the leaves turn brown.
- From excess or lack of moisture in the soil, extensive dark spots appear on the leaves.
- Due to the defeat of the mite, the leaves become whitish.
- Leaves may turn yellowish in direct sunlight or from lack of nutrition.
