Scientific Name : Areca triandra Roxb. ex Buch.-Ham.
Common Name : Triandra Palm, Wild Areca Palm
Chinese Name : 三藥檳榔
Family : ARECACEAE
Local distribution status : Exotic species
| Origins | Mainland Southeast Asia. |
|---|---|
| Meaning of names | The generic name Areca is the vernacular how the local people on the Malabar coast refer to this genus. The specific epithet triandra describes the male flowers showing three stamens. |
| Vitality |
Triandra Palm prefers sunny weather and moist soils. It is highlighted for the eminent tolerance to low temperature compared with other palm species, normally thriving even when the temperature is dropped to 4°C. The palm can be grown effortlessly due to its excellent acclimatising to versatile environments. Other than planting it from seeds, people tend to reproduce the palm vegetatively from its suckers, adventitious shoots that sprout near to the main stem. |
| Application |
In view of its clump habit that is occasionally characterized by other Areca spp., it is always planted as a visual alternative for parks. By aligning the palm into a row, it can also create a magnificent fencing effect for privacy and safety purposes. The fruits are edible and always used for treating abdominal pain caused by food accumulation and diarrhea. |
| Triandra Palm and Areca catechu (Betel Palm) | Two palms are the members of Areca, sharing outwardly similar traits. However, they should not be mistakenly diagnosed due to the distinct growing habits and fruit appearances. While Betel Palm is solitary palm that can grow to a towering 30 m, Triandra Palm is always shrubby and confined to 5 m. The mature fruits of Betel Palm are large and yellow orange, whereas those of Triandra Palm are smaller and scarlet. |
| Growing habit | Clustered palm. |
|---|---|
| Height | To 5 m. |
| Stem | Stems clustered, slender, erect to slightly bent, with eminent leaf scars. |
| Leaves | Pinnate, pinnae 17-20 pairs.Pinnae blade leathery, dark green, evident veins 2-6, lanceolate, lower pinnae apex accumulate, upper pinnae apex slightly obtuse, toothed, terminal pinnae fused. Pesudopetioles sheathing. |
| Flower | Monoecious, male and female flowers on the same inflorescence. Spadix arranged into paniculate sprouting from the base of foliar sheaths, branched. Spathe 1, leathery, caducous. Male flowers small, numerous, creamy white, stamens 3, female flowers large, clustered at the base of inflorescence. |
| Fruit | Ellipsoid, scarlet-red when ripen. |
| Flowering period | Unknown |
| Fruiting period | Unknown |
Scientific name above is based on Plants of the World Online :
https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:664230-1
Scientific names from other databases
― GBIF : Areca triandra Roxb. ex Buch.-Ham.