Scientific Name : Dypsis decaryi (Jum.) Beentje & J. Dransf
Common Name : Triangle palm
Chinese Name : 三角椰子
Family : ARECACEAE
Local distribution status : Exotic species
| Origins | Madagascar. |
|---|---|
| Meanings of names | The generic name Dypsis in Greek (dyptein) refers to its fronds with drooping tips. The specific epithet decaryi is in honour of the first specimen collector of the palm, Raymond Decary (1891-1973), a French botanist who dedicated his entire career in Madagascar. The palm is commonly known as ‘Triangle palm’ in respect of its leaves arranged in particular tristichous structure. |
| Ecology | Although Triangle palm is cultivated globally for ornamental purposes, the wild population is confined to only Madagascar. In its native range, its leaves are harvested for building roofs; the fruits can be eaten fresh and are often processed into fermented drinks; the seeds are collected by nurseries for selling. Coupled with excessive destruction to its habitats (e.g. burning the area for growing tobacco), the number of wild Triangle palm has declined sharply. According to the data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2022, regretfully, the wild population of mature Triangle Palm has restricted to only 999 and is rated as Vulnerable (VU) for the urgency of conservation. Triangle palm serves as a primary food source and shelter for a myriad of local animals in Madagascar. The reduction of population is beyond all dispute deleterious to the local biodiversity. |
| Vitality | Triangle palm is resistant to drought, heat and semi-shade, but good planting still prefers full sun with moist, sandy and well drained soils. Whereas mature Triangle palm shows excellent tolerance to fire, the juvenile is rather fragile to such environments. |
| Application | Many parks in Hong Kong have been designed with a Palm Garden. Triangle palm is one of the predominant palms that can be spotted easily with its outstanding tristichous structure. |
| Growing habit | Solitary palm. |
|---|---|
| Height | To 10 m. |
| Stem | Trunk solitary, round, brownish black-gray, prominently ringed with leaf scars, compact. |
| Leaves | Pinnately compound arranged in 3 rows, petiole green, by brown-black tomentose, triangular. Pinnatisect, almost arched upward, apex pendulous, green to silvery green, pinnately narrow, V-shaped on rachis. |
| Flower | Monoecious. Spikes arranged into paniculate moderately branched, yellow to green. |
| Fruit | Ovoid, turning green to red when ripe. |
| Flowering period | / |
| Fruiting period | / |
Scientific name above is based on Plant of the World Online website :
https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:985350-1
Scientific names from other databases
― GBIF : Dypsis decaryi (Jum.) Beentje & J.Dransf.