The problem is the white powdery stuff all over the stems. I wiped some of it off this morning, but it revealed these black lumpy bits. At first I thought it was mold but now I am worried there are bugs...

Most of the leaves are unaffected although you can see the one here is spotted black too

I cant see any obvious signs of insects or spiders on the leaves. To my eye anyway they mostly look good and the problem is mostly towards the base in the stem

However this morning I did notice a new spike coming up that hasn't yet unfurled into a frond and that has black spots on it too (though no white powder).

Other things to know about me. I am currently living and working in Shanghai, China. The weather here is very, very hot at the moment and humidity is on the high side. I have put this palm in our living room which faces east. It gets the sun until about 9am, but I thought near the windows would be good for the breeze.
I do have an outdoor balcony (it faces south but is shaded by the upstairs apartments and never gets full sun), so if it turns out that it needs to go outside for a while then that is possible.

All help with this is appreciated. Thanks for reading this.
KylieB

I don't think there is anything wrong with your Dypsis lutescens (a.k.a., 'Areca Palm'). Pretty sure mine is freckled like that too.

As long as it is getting good light, leave it where it is or ocasionally drag it to the balcony for a good watering/misting of foliage etc.. They will grow with bright, indirect light to direct sun (but not shade). You might hear some people describe these as difficult but I don't find them all that hard. They do resent lots of indoor, artificial heat but in a the humid, subtropical area it won't be as nearly as bad (just don't have right next to an air conditioner).

Thanks for the identification and the advice! I'm glad it turned out to be nothing. Does yours also have the white powder on the stems too? I think this palm should do well in Shanghai's climate as the humidity is high all year round, even in the cold winters. Thanks too for the tip about the air conditioners. The palm is nearby our aircon unit but i've checked and it's not blowing directly onto it so it should be fine. So here's hoping this new plant will be very happy in its new home! :-)

It looks good to me. The white stuff is normal (I think it's called scruff). It will eventually go away on it's own and is completely normal, some palms create it.

I think that your palm should be fine indoors. Heaters do more damage to palms than air conditioners and since you live in a tropical climate, I doubt you will be using artificial heat much if at all.

I recommend taking the palm outside in shade for a day or 2 once every month to give it a good watering and let it get some fresh air. If you take it outside on a rainy day, that would be awesome for it. Some plants don't mind being indoors, but most plants really do like some natural air every once in a while.

Good luck!
-Alex

Thanks for the tips Alex! Even though we have steamy hot summers you'd be amazed to learn how cold Shanghai gets in the winter - definitely not tropical at all and we usually get a light dusting of snow 3-5 times each year! So your tips about being careful with heating are much appreciated. Also good advice about letting the Palm air on the balcony from time to time. I will definitely do that!
Thanks again
Kylie

I never realized how chilly your winters got in Shanghai. Whenever you do get some mild weather during the winter, definitely take it out for a good soaking since a winter indoors can be tough on some plants. Also, you might want to repot your palm in the near future since it will out grow that pot fast, but it will be okay in that for a while and you don't want to give it too much extra root space because they do grow big when the roots are given space to grow.

Good luck with it!
-Alex

Yes I was wondering how long I could leave it in that pot. I think I will leave it until autumn at least before repotting though, just to make sure that it settles in ok into its new home. The poor plant made the journey to my house on Sunday on the back of a motorcycle, so I'm sure it's had enough excite to last it for a while! :-)

Mine have those types of markings on the frond sheafs, not on the actual trunk. These do like outdoors and full sun, although never moved from shade suddenly into sun. They need to adjust slowly. And another thing, they definitely don't like frost or snow, no matter how light a sprinkling.

Thanks tropicbreezent, definitely no snow for this palm!
Kylie