Areca triandra (Wild Areca Palm)
Native from northeastern India and Bangladesh through Southeast Asia to Sumatra, Borneo, and the Philippines, this clumping palm reaches about 20 feet tall and is grown as an ornamental. Separate male and female flowers occur on the same plant, with a strong lemon fragrance. Birds and mammals eat its fleshy fruits and disperse the seeds. It has naturalized in Panama and southwestern Sri Lanka. In Gamboa, Panama, it invades secondary forest and can dominate the understory. Dense populations in southwestern Sri Lanka also suppress native vegetation, and researchers consider it a potential invasive. Photographed in MedellĂn, Colombia.
