The difference between Areca palm and Coconut palm

1. Morphological characteristics

Areca palm, also known as yellow coconut, has a relatively smooth stem and leaves that are generally yellow-green without burrs. The leaf surface is smooth and slender, generally between 40 and 150 cm in length, with slightly curved petioles. The Areca palm has small golden flowers, which usually bloom from March to April. The fruit is an orange-yellow round fruit that fruits in August. The roots are mostly branched and grow in clusters. The palm can be up to 3 meters tall, with many branched stems. The leaves are generally dark green and generally between 50-80CM in length. The front end of the leaves is bent and drooping, and the surface is shiny. The flowers are like flames and grow under the leaves. When ripe, the fruit is a reddish-brown round fruit from October to December.

2. Growth Habits

The origin of the Areca palm is Madagascar. It is a tropical plant that prefers warm, humid and semi-shaded environment. The leaves of the Areca palm will turn yellow when the temperature drops below 20℃, and will freeze to death when the temperature drops to around 5℃. Therefore, it is very cold-intolerant and is suitable for planting in Lingnan and southwest China. It is not suitable for growing in the Yangtze River area and its north, but it can be grown in greenhouses. The Coconut Tree also likes warm, humid, semi-shady environment, but it is more cold-resistant and is suitable for planting in areas south of the Yangtze River. In areas north of the Yangtze River, it can be planted in Dapeng, but the temperature of the planting environment must be kept above zero degrees Celsius.

3. Landscape Effect

Areca palm can be grown outdoors or indoors. Areca palm has a good function in purifying the air. At the same time, it also has the function of moisturizing indoor air. Especially in winter when the air conditioner and heater are turned on, the indoor air is very dry. At this time, planting a Areca palm can increase the indoor humidity to 40-60%. The rich coconut palm is also often used as a green plant for indoor decoration. It not only has a beautiful shape, is shade-tolerant and easy to grow, but also has a good effect of purifying the air.

4. Geographical Distribution

Areca palm is native to Madagascar and is mostly introduced to southern China; Coconut palm is native to Australia and can be grown indoors in many areas of China as long as you pay attention to keeping warm.