Editing Areca vestiaria (section)

===Stilt-Roots: ===
Several species
of palms that inhabit swampy environments produce roots from
the aerial portions of stem. In most cases, the roots grown
slantingly on all sides of the stem and offer anchorage to
the stem which is usually very thin to begin with. Without
these stilt-roots, the thicker and heavier subsequent stem
and the crown would cause the plant to topple down.
''Iriartea sp''. of South America and the spectacular
''Eugeissona minor'' are good examples for palms of swampy
habitats bearing impressive stilt-roots, however
''Areca vestiaria''
is not a swamp-loving palm. On the contrary, it lives on
well-drained volcanic soils. While the sloppy nature of the
soil calls for extra support for the palm stem on the lower
side, there is another reason why
''A. vestiaria'' develops stilt-roots.

The fruits are fairly small and they
are either shed under the mother palms or more often they are
carried to adjoining localities by fruit-eating animals. The
seeds discarded by the animals after consuming the sweet pulp,
get entangled within the thick forest vegetation and debris
on the soil surface. The seeds start germinating immediately
as there is no dormancy period. The seedlings are required to
grow very fast to get out of the layer of fallen leaves and
twigs. Thus the plant elongates vertically faster rather than
developing a stout bole. As it emerges above the thick layer
of organic matter, the subsequent stem steadily increases in
girth. As if to support the thin stem, many aerial roots are
produced from the tender stem which serve as props. The
freshly-formed stem continues to increase in girth while the
lower portion of stem remains more or less at the original
thickness. Thus, there is vital need for several supporting
stilt-roots which are formed subsequently. In this respect,
''A. vestiaria''
resembles another ornamental palm,
''Pigafetta filaris'',
also native to Sulawesi Island. 

The picture of
''A. vestiara'' (''A. langloisiana'') by E.P. Beckwith
appearing on page 95 (volume 6 of Principes) is most
impressive on account of its multitude of stilt-roots that
virtually cover the stem up to over 2m from ground level.
Young aerial roots and the tip of older ones are strikingly
purplish-red. This is similar to the colour of young roots of
''Metroxylon sagu''.
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