Dypsis lutescens
FAMILY NAME Arecaceae
CHARACTERISTICS Tall arched leaves, 2 to 3m (6 to 10ft) long, with 20 to 60 pairs of leaflets
HABITAT Tropical and sub-tropical forests
DISTRIBUTION Native to Madagascar, naturalized in parts of Central and South America and the Caribbean
FLOWERS AND FRUIT Panicles of yellow flowers in summer
This stately palm is also known as the Butterfly Palm because of the way the leaves curl upwards, giving the appearance of butterfly wings. The leaves, though primarily green with a few dark specks at the base of the stem, are sometimes shades of yellow and gold, which explains another popular name for this plant, the Golden Cane Palm. This plant is ‘self-cleaning’, in that once the leaves turn brown they fall away with the crown shaft. A clustering palm, it can reach up to 12 metres (40 feet) tall when fully mature.