Erica Palm | Dypsis lutescens

Erica Palm (Dypsis lutescens)

Erica Palm (Dypsis lutescens), an an effective air cleaning ornamental plant, a tropical plant, is recognized by many names among which one of the most common name as 'butterfly palm' as the leaves bear a resemblance to butterflies? 

Erica Palm with the botanical name Dypsis lutescens and with the synonym Chrysalidocarpus glaucescens, hereditary in South India, naturalized in the Andaman Islands and native to Madagascar, seen among most tropical and subtropical countries, also known as areca palm, is an ornamental garden plant with the popluar name 'butterfly palm' as the leaves bear a resemblance to butterflies. Its upright tropical fronds make it an attractive house plant and garden plant. 

Erica plam, the golden palm is dioecious perennial flowering plant, has feathery type palm fronts, arching fronds (2– 4m (6 ft 7 in–9 ft 10 in) long, with multiple stems emerging from the base , and each with more than 100 leaves (narrow and recurved). Its foliage is evergreen. It bears panicles of yellow flowers in summer. Offsets can be cut off when mature enough, as a propagation method. It grows well and easily in a well drained aerated potted soil mix including peat, pine bark, and coarse sand. The plant is adaptive to its surrounding enviroment and is ranked among the most endangered ornamental plant. It thrives well in optimum temprature of 26 degrees C but can get harmed at temperatures below 12.7 degrees C. 

Growing erica palms creates health benefits by removing xylene, benzene, formaldehyde,and trichloroethylene from the air. It is thus popular as a house plant to maintain air cleanliness as a sanitizer . However it needs bright indirect sunlight as direct sunlight could cuase harm to its leaves. 

Erica Palm has been awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Narasipur Char