Red Areca Palm

Red Areca Palm (Areca vestiaria 'Red Form') is a collector's palm grown for a feature almost nothing else offers: crownshafts and new stems washed in orange through deep red. It is a clumping palm that settles at around 5m tall and 2.5m wide in Australian gardens, slower and shorter here than in its Southeast Asian habitat. Give it a frost free, humid position and it becomes the plant visitors ask about.

Why you'll love it

• That crownshaft colour. The sheathed trunk tops and emerging stems glow orange to red against deep green fronds, a colour combination no common palm can match.
• A manageable, clumping habit. Multiple slender stems to about 5m suit courtyards and garden beds where a solitary palm would end up towering.
• Roots that behave. Non-invasive roots make it safe close to pools, paving and plumbing.
• Happy in damp ground. Unusually for a palm it tolerates wet feet, so the low corner that stays moist after rain is an opportunity rather than a problem.
• Genuine rarity. A palm seldom seen outside collections, with an unmistakably tropical signature.

Where it works best

Feature planting. Use it as the centrepiece of a tropical bed where the coloured stems are visible at eye level, ideally against a plain wall or deep green backdrop.

Poolside. The tidy clumping habit, safe roots and love of humidity make it a natural around pools in the tropics and subtropics.

Pots and containers. A large pot in a warm, sheltered, bright position suits it well, and in marginal climates a pot lets you move the palm under protection in winter.

Growing Red Areca Palm in Australia

Position and climate. This is strictly a plant for tropical and subtropical gardens. It is frost tender, so south of the subtropics treat it as a conservatory or shadehouse specimen. Give it shelter, filtered light or gentle morning sun, protection from drying wind, and as much humidity as you can offer.

Soil. Rich, moisture holding soil with plenty of compost. It tolerates wet feet, though steady moisture with drainage is the ideal.

Water and feed. Keep it consistently moist, never bone dry. Feed with a palm specific fertiliser in spring and again in mid summer.

Pruning. None beyond removing fully spent fronds. Never cut the growing tips, as each stem grows from a single point.

What to expect when it arrives

We offer Red Areca Palm in 250mm pots, sold as a pack of 3 that establishes as a fuller clump sooner, and as advanced 60L specimens with real height and stem colour already showing. This palm is slow growing in Australian conditions, so buy close to the size you want to look at.

Expect a settling period of a month or two after planting before new spears push. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every palm is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• An essential guide to palm tree varieties
• Browse our full palm range
• Designing a tropical garden that stays lush
• Choosing tropical poolside plants

Common questions

Can I grow it outside the tropics and subtropics?

Only with real protection. It is frost tender and needs warmth and humidity, so in Sydney and further south it is a plant for a heated glasshouse, a bright conservatory or a very sheltered warm microclimate, not open garden beds.

Why is the red colour stronger on some plants?

Colour intensity varies with the age of the stem, light levels and the individual plant. New sheaths show the strongest orange red, and colour generally deepens as the clump matures.

How fast will it reach 5m?

Slowly. In Australian gardens it grows at a fraction of its habitat pace, and a 250mm plant will take many years to make full height. The 60L size is the shortcut if you want presence now.

Is it suitable beside a pool?

Yes, within its climate range it is one of the better palms for pool surrounds: non-invasive roots, no massive fronds to drop, and a habit that stays in scale.