Dypsis arenarum

[Neil C]

Looking back through old topics on this species it appears that there are at least two distinctly different looking palms being sold as D. arenarum. The first looks in no way like D. lutescens, has nice red spears and widely spaced leaflets.

The second looks a lot like D.lutescens but seems a lot more colorful at lease on others I've seen. This palm came from Clayton at Utopia palms so I've good reason to believe it's something other than a lutescens. I think he was selling them as arenarum blue.

Does anyone have any updates on which is the real arenarum as the previous posts seemed fairly inconclusive? Please feel free to post photos of either kind if you have some to share or any other info you think might be useful.

 

Regards Neil

[mike in kurtistown]

John Dransfield has confirmed that the ones I am growing are D. arenarum . Seeds came as something totally incorrect. The seedlings were skinny little things with red new spears that opened up green. They grow up to be massive things with stems about 15 ft high 4.5 mts). Below is a pic of what they look like today.

[realarch]

I used to have one, but gave it away. It looks too similar to D. lutescens of which I already have too many. 

Tim

[quaman58]

I think I read that someone said the palm being commonly sold as arenarium (like the one on the left, with the cool burgandy "push") does not match the description in POM. I have one of those; a beautiful, solitary palm when young. It's now way overhead, still solitary, & looks like a lutecsens. It's lost the maroon color as well & is pretty ordinary looking. Ironically, I also have a big box store lutecsens that has grown over the years into this beautiful, colorful clump & has developed that great maroon color on all the growing points. I have my doubts that they're different species, at least what we're usually being sold.

[humangenomaproject]

I'd say similar to lutescens but mine hold more tomentum and seem more compact.