Chrysalidocarpus lutescens is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae, native to Madagascar. It has since been introduced to the South and Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, and certain islands such as the Canary Islands and Réunion.
Etymology and names
It is known by several common names such as areca palm, bamboo palm, butterfly palm, golden cane palm, and yellow palm. One of the common names, "butterfly palm", refers to the leaves, which curve upwards in multiple stems to create a butterfly look. Due to its yellow colored thin stems, it is called as golden cane palm. As the slender stems resemble that of a bamboo, it is known as bamboo palm. Native names include rehazo and lafahazo (from Malagasy hazo "tree" with reha "pride" and lafa "fibre", respectively).
Chrysalidocarpus lutescens was first described by Hermann Wendland in volume 36 of the journal of Botanische Zeitung in 1878. The genus name 'Chrysalidocarpus' means "golden fruit" in Greek which refers to the color of the fruits. The species name 'lutescens' is derived from Latin 'lutens' meaning "yellow" which might refer to the yellowish stems and flowers of the plant.
Description
Chrysalidocarpus lutescens is a perennial tropical plant, that grows 12–30 ft (3.7–9.1 m) in height and spreads up to 15 ft (4.6 m) wide. Multiple cane-like stems emerge from the base. These smooth stems measure up to 15 cm (5.9 in) in diameter, and consist of rings similar to bamboo. The stem is greyish-green at the bottom and yellowish-green towards the top. The compound leaves are upward-arching, and pinnate, with a yellow midrib. The 1.6–2 m (5 ft 3 in – 6 ft 7 in) long leaves are dark green when young and turn yellowish-green while ageing. A leaf consists of 40 to 60 pairs of lanceolate leaflets, each of which measures up to 60 cm (24 in) in length and 2–2.5 cm (0.79–0.98 in) in width.
