type : Trees
sun exposure : Partial Shade, Full Shade, Filtered Light
water : Regular Water
planting zones : TS (Tropical South) / Zone 10, TS (Tropical South) / Zone 11
Plant Details
Generally small, slow-growing, feather-type palms from the rain forests of Mexico and Central and South America. Some have single trunks, others clustered trunks; leaves are variable in shape. Perfect for a large container on a shaded patio. If growing indoors, feed monthly during growing season with a balanced liquid fertilizer; cut back on fertilizer and water in winter.
cat palm, cascade palm
BAMBOO PALM
chamaedorea cataractarum
- Forms a dense clump to 6 feet tall, 9 feet wide.
- Dark green, arching, feathery leaves to 3 feet or longer.
- Does best in a moist, partially shaded location with protection from drying winds.
- Good as informal hedge, screen, border, or understory plant.
- Hardy to 24F.
parlor palm
chamaedorea costaricana
- If well fed and liberally watered, develops fairly quickly into bamboolike clumps 810 feet tall and wide.
- Lacy, feathery leaves 34 feet long.
- Good potted palm.
chamaedorea elegans
- The best indoor chamaedorea, tolerating crowded roots, poor light.
- Single stemmed; grows very slowly to an eventual 34 feet tall and nearly as wide.
- Feathery, lush green leaves to 2 feet long.
- Douse the tops of potted plants with water occasionally.
- Groom by removing old leafstalks.
- Repot every 2 or 3 years, carefully washing off old soil and replacing it with good potting mix.
- Plant three or more in a container for most effective display.
metallic palm
chamaedorea metallica
- To 3 feet tall and about half as wide.
- Single stem is topped by erect, broadly oval leaves in the shape of a fishtail.
- Foliage has a distinctive blue-green sheen.
- Purple or orange flowers are followed by small black fruits.
- Excellent in pots.
hardy bamboo palm
chamaedorea microspadix
- LS (protected), CS, TS; USDA 8-11.
- Rather open clumps of slender, upright stems can reach 10 feet tall.
- Arching blue-green leaves give plants a feathery look.
- Tough and adaptable; hardy to 18F.
pacaya palm
chamaedorea radicalis
- LS (protected), CS, TS; USDA 8-11.
- This dwarf palm grows just 34 feet tall, and its sprawling, open form makes it a natural choice for planting in groups as a tall ground cover.
- Takes many years to form a discernible trunk.
- Best in rich, moist soil.
- Although it's one of the hardiest in the genus, surviving 10F with only leaf damage, it benefits from overhead protection in the Lower South.
chamaedorea seifrizii(Chamaedorea erumpens)
- To 414 feet tall, 36 feet wide.
- Produces a clump of slender, bright green, bamboolike canes bearing deep green leaves.
- New stems keep forming at the base of the plant, so it never looks sparse.
- Handsome, fine-textured accent for indoors or out.
chamaedorea tenella(Chamaedorea geonomiformis)
- Single-trunked palm to 34 feet tall and wide.
- Dark bluish green leaves to 8 inches long, 23 inches wide have a distinctive look: they are undivided except for a deep cleft at the tip.
chamaedorea tepejilote
- Single trunk ringed with swollen joints like those of bamboo.
- Moderate growth to 10 feet or taller and about 8 feet wide.
- Velvety green, feathery leaves reach 4 feet long.
- Hardy to 28F.