Palm tree with berries? - Ask Extension
We just bought a house in FL with a while bunch of new plants we know nothing about. This plant is a cluster of palms with these big clusters of green...
Knowledgebase
Palm tree with berries? #349022
Asked August 01, 2016, 6:11 PM EDT
We just bought a house in FL with a while bunch of new plants we know nothing about. This plant is a cluster of palms with these big clusters of greenish-yellow berries hanging from it. Any idea what it is? Is the fruit edible or dangerous?
Pinellas County Florida
Expert Response
Hello,
You have a Areca Palm or a Butterfly Palm, Chrysalidocarpus lutescens/Dypsis lutescens.
During late spring or early summer, the Areca Palm produces small bright yellow flowers that grow from below the leaves. It has male and female flowers on the same inflorescence. After few months of blooming, flowers are followed by light green to yellow fruits that turn yellow-orange when ripe. Fruits have oval shape and are around 1 inch in diameter. Although they look pretty, they are not edible.
You have a Areca Palm or a Butterfly Palm, Chrysalidocarpus lutescens/Dypsis lutescens.
During late spring or early summer, the Areca Palm produces small bright yellow flowers that grow from below the leaves. It has male and female flowers on the same inflorescence. After few months of blooming, flowers are followed by light green to yellow fruits that turn yellow-orange when ripe. Fruits have oval shape and are around 1 inch in diameter. Although they look pretty, they are not edible.
