Page Updated: Jan-17-2011

Information Therapy
Health Feed

Clean Air Filters

Daytime - Air Filter Plants

Areca Palm, Golden Palm, Chrysalidocarpus lutescens

4 plants, shoulder-high, per person

Breaths in CO2 and breaths out oxygen during the day.

In excessively dirty air conditions such as the city of Mumbi, the leaves are wiped once per day with a moist soft cloth, and once per week in cities with cleaner air.

Move the Areca Palm plants outdoors every three to four months to rejuvenate healthy growth.

Growing Areca Palms

This graceful, clump-growing palm reaches 20 to 30 feet in height with a spread of 8 to 10 feet. The gently arching, four to six-inch-wide, ringed, bamboo-like, green, multiple trunks are topped with curved, feathery, yellow-green fronds. Known under a variety of names, this beautiful soft palm is quite valued throughout the tropics and is widely planted in frostfree areas. The small, white, inconspicuous flowers are produced all year long on three-foot stalks among the leaves, and the small, oblong, black fruits ripen all year.

Grown in full sun where it makes an excellent specimen or screen (on four-foot-centers) to the rather dense shade of patios, porches or as house plants, Yellow Butterfly Palm prefers fertile, well-drained, acid soil. Small palms benefit from some shade until they are several feet tall and palms should be watered during periods of drought. They require regular fertilizer applications to maintain a good appearance. Young palms in full sun and those in high pH soils develop yellow leaves. Older leaves on plants of any age become chlorotic, frequently from a deficiency of potassium. Affected leaves are often speckled with bronze or yellow. Yellow Butterfly Palm is moderately salt-tolerant.

General Information

Scientific name: Chrysalidocarpus lutescens
Pronunciation: kriss-al-lid-oh-KAR-pus loo-TESS-enz
Common name(s): Yellow Butterfly Palm, Bamboo Palm, Areca Palm
Family: Arecaceae
USDA hardiness zones: 10A through 11 (see map)
Planting month for zone 10A and 11: year round
Origin: not native to North America
Uses: Indoors; deck or patio; screen; specimen; container or planter

Shaded area represents outdoor planting range.

Description

Height: 20 to 30 feet
Spread: 8 to 10 feet
Crown density: open
Growth rate: fast

Foliage

Leaf arrangement: spiral (Fig. 3)
Leaf type: odd-pinnately compound
Leaf margin: entire
Leaf shape: linear
Leaf venation: parallel
Leaf type and persistence: evergreen
Leaf blade length: 12 to 18 inches, 18 to 36 inches
Leaf color: greenFall color: no color change
Fall characteristic: not showy

Flower

Flower color: white/cream/gray
Flower characteristics: not showy

Fruit

Fruit shape: oval, round
Fruit length: .5 to 1 inch
Fruit covering: fleshy
Fruit color: black, brown, red
Fruit characteristics: does not attract wildlife; not showy; fruit/leaves not a litter problem

Culture

Light requirement: full sun, partial sun or partial shade, shade tolerant
Soil tolerances: clay; sand; loam; slightly alkaline; acidic; well-drained; occasionally wet
Drought tolerance: moderate
Aerosol salt tolerance: moderate

Pests and Diseases

No diseases are of major concern.

What's the Best Way To Grow Air Filtering Plants Indoors?

South facing windows provide the maximum light available for indoor potted plants to thrive. However, sunny locations can lead to increased water consumption and increased growth. To accommodate the increase, larger pots containing more soil that will hold more water, allowingless frequent watering's while the plant takes longer to dry between watering's. The planting pots should have holes in the bottom to prevent over watering. Use a catchment tray for watering overflow. Don't letplants sit in standing tray water for more that a few hours.

Feeding Indoor Plants With Instant Compost Tea

Healthy Soil = Healthy Plants = Healthy Air.

Here's some practical starter suggestions for using "biologic" growing methods without chemical fertilizers.

How to Grow a Healthy Strawberry?

Here's a collection of recent research about the effectiveness of strawberries, and other fruits, on human and animal health to help discover the best practices on how to grow fruit for optimal health.