Dictyosperma
(from diktyon, a net, and sperma, a seed; in allusion to the raphe of the seed forming a loose network.). ORD. Palmae. A genus of stove Palms, related to Areca. Flowers unisexual, often in threes (one female between two males). Leaves pinnate; leaflets with the sides reflexed before unfolding. For culture, see Areca.
D. album (white).* l. 4ft. to 8ft. long, pinnate; petioles clothed with white tomentum; leaflets 2ft. long, and about 2in. wide, bright green on both surfaces. Stem slender. h. 30ft. Mauritius, 1842. Whole plant unarmed. SYN. Areca alba.
D. aureum (golden).* l. pinnate, with long, narrow, distant, pendent, dark green leaflets. Seychelles Islands, 1868. A fine species, of erect habit, and with gracefully spreading leaves, remarkable for the yellow colour acquired by the petioles when grown in a temperate house. SYN. Areca aurea. D. furfuraceum (mealy) differs principally from D. rubrum in the tomentose character of the petiole and leaf sheath of the young plant. Mauritius. SYNS. Areca furfurcea and A. pisifera.
D. rubrum (red). Palmiste Rouge. l. dark green, with primary veins and margins dark red, the redness disappearing very much in adult plants. Branches of the spadix longer and more reflexed than in D. album. Mauritius. SYN. Areca rubra.