GOLDEN CANE – ARICA PALM

Golden palm

Golden palm, or golden cane palm, is native to Madagascar. It reaches a height of 25 feet, with several green (gray in old palms) ringed trunks up to 5 inches in diameter. The leaves are up to 8 feet long and are composed of two rows of slender leaflets. Inflorescences arise below the lowest leaf and are up to 3 feet long. Ripe fruits are golden-yellowish and up to three-quarters of an inch long. It flowers and produces fruits irregularly during the year. The meaning of the generic name is unknown. The species name means yellowish.

The photographed palm is one of two specimens planted in front of the Figueroa Chapel Amphitheater (Chardón Building). There are several other specimens in the campus; for example, west of and behind the Celis Building, in the patio of the Piñero Building, in front of the chancellor’s house, in front of the General Library, and near the old Agricultural Sciences greenhouse. It is a very common ornamental palm in Puerto Rico.