This variant is a solitary palm with a slender, upright green trunk with prominent rings from old leaf scars.  A notable feature of this palm is the bulging crownshaft, which is often red or reddish-orange, enhancing its visual prominence.  The crown has large, feather shaped leaves.  The inflorescence emerges at the base of the crownshaft.  The oval shaped fruit turns orange-red as it ripens.  
‘Marie’ is named for Maria Boggs, a well-known palm enthusiast and grower who helped introduce this striking red form of Areca macrocalyx into cultivation. Working with material originating from Papua New Guinea, she recognized the ornamental potential of plants showing unusually strong red coloration in the crownshaft and leaf bases. Through careful cultivation and distribution, this form became known among growers as ‘Marie’, though its intensity of color is influenced by age and growing conditions and is not always expressed uniformly.