Common Names: Orange Crownshaft Palm/Sunset Palm

Areca vestiaria grows in lowland to mid elevation rainforests on the Sulawesi and Muluku Islands of Indonesia. It is a very variable species with both single stemmed and clumping plants being common. Equally, some plants have tall, impressive stilt roots, whereas others have little or no roots visible above ground. The same is true of it's trademark crownshaft colour, usually bright orange, but can be anywhere from green to deep crimson, the latter usually sold in cultivation as "Red" or "Maroon" form. The so called Red/Maroon form also has red emergent leaves, not seen in the plants with less colour, which always open with green leaves. This is a medium sized palm with medium growth rate. Older stems can eventually reach 9m/30' after many years, but this is uncommon, particularly in cultivation. The smooth, slender stems, up to 150mm/6" in diameter are an attractive light green with prominent light brown rings left by the bases of old leaf sheaths. The crown is relatively compact and individual stems often have a spread of less than 3m/10', but clumps can be dense and numerous with in excess of twenty stems from one plant. Surprisingly, based on it's native range, in cultivation it has shown some hardiness, even coping with very minor freezes down to -1°C/30°F. In cooler areas, it's ornamental appeal and ability to cope with relatively low light levels, have led to it being used more frequently as an indoor specimen. It copes well with pot culture, but does require high humidity to look at it's best. That said, it will grow more slowly in a pot and older stems can be removed, if they become too large for their surroundings.