This study delved into the spatiotemporal evolution and impact mechanisms of areca palm (Areca catechu L.) plantations in China. Using Landsat and Google Earth imagery combined with machine learning, the geographical distribution of areca palm was mapped at a 30 m resolution from 1987 to 2022, achieving an overall classification accuracy of 0.67 in 2022. The plantation area rapidly expanded from 8064 hectares in 1987 to 193,328 hectares in 2022. Spatially, there was a pronounced trend of overall agglomeration in areca palm plantations, primarily displaying two distribution patterns: high-value aggregation and low-value aggregation. Moreover, the plantation area exhibited a significant positive correlation with both GDP (r = 0.98, p < 0.001) and total population (r = 0.92, p < 0.01), while negatively correlating with rural population (r = −0.76, p < 0.05). No significant correlation was observed with environmental factors. This study elucidated the patterns and trends concerning economic development across regions and the impact of monoculture on Hainan Island’s ecological environment. Comprehensive, large-scale, long-term mapping of areca palms will enhance our understanding of global agriculture’s sustainability challenges and inform policy development.