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Chamaedorea seifrtzii, the classic Bamboo Palm

Chamaedorea hooperiana, a superior Bamboo Palm

A fine mature specimen of a Chamaedorea hybrid which shows beauty and vigor; compare to C. seifrtzii to left

BAMBOO PALM LEAVES - A PINNATE LEAF

 WHAT IS A PINNATE PALM?

Example of pinnate leaf, C. linearis

Wider leaflets, pinnate, C. nationsiana

Simple or complete leaf, C. ernesti- augustii

Grouped leaflets, C. klotzschiana

Another simple leaf, C. geonomiformis

Plumose leaf, C. plumosa

	CONTRAST PINNATE TO FAN LEAVES BELOW
In contrast, these are fan leaves of a Coccothrinax species	Close up of another fan leaf, this one from a Pritchardia species	Another fan leaf, Rhapis multifida

Single trunk species, C. alternans.  This plant will always have just one trunk.

Suckering species, C. hooperiana.  Note how new small stems are forming at the ground level.  Over a long time, this plant could have dozens of stems.  It is a suckering palm.

Chamaedorea plumosa, three plants in one pot.  This number will never change.

Suckering Chamaedorea hooperiana, a type of Bamboo Palm

Although a simple leaf plant, this Chamaedorea brachypoda is a suckering species

Chamaedorea hooperiana, a classic clustering Bamboo Palm

BAMBOO PALM TRUNKS Bamboo Palm trunks tend to be smaller than many of the single trunk varieties.   But, if you think about it, this makes sense.  Smaller trunks leaves more room for new suckers to find their way up.  Average trunk diameters vary from one half an inch to perhaps an inch and a half.  One typically sees prominent rings on these trunks - often light colored.  Every new leaf formed will give a new ring.  Below the leaves are crown shafts (see below) which are the attachment mechanism for the leaves.  Flowers also emerge from the trunks.   Flower bracts are often orange in color.  Below are examples of Bamboo Palm trunks.

THE CROWNSHAFT WHAT IS IT?  MANY BAMBOO PALMS HAVE CROWNSHAFTS This is a term that only applies to pinnate palms as fan palms in general do not posses crown shafts.  Crownshafts (sometimes called "crown shaft" as two words) are tubular structures that are actually the proximal or base of a leaf stem.  This portion of the stem wraps tightly around the main stem of the plant and forms a typically glossy, smooth structure that encircles the woody trunk.  These structures may go around the entirety of the trunk or just part way around the trunk.  When an old leaf is removed, this portion can be pulled off with the rest of the leaf.  Although crownshafts are not unique to Chamaedorea, many species of this genus do have them.  Crownshaft color is typically green when present on Chamaedorea palms.  However, colorful crown shafts are seen in other species of palms.  Such palms are often quite popular.

Interesting mottled crown shaft on the species Chamaedorea linearis

Red colored crown shaft in a different genus, Cyrtostachys renda

On C. plumosa the crown shaft is green, but covered with a white frost, giving it a white appearance.  Note how this wipes off after being touched with fingers.

FLOWERS AND SEEDS OF BAMBOO PALMS AND OTHER CHAMAEDOREA All Bamboo Palms or Chamaedorea species are dioecious.  This means that any given plant is either a male or female plant.  The flowers of each sex appear morphologically different and it is the characteristics of the flowers that allows taxonomists to determine the species of any given plant.  As a rule with most species of Chamaedorea, the male flowers tend to be more branched than the female flowers.  But, there are exceptions.  Also, the male flowers disperse pollen that makes its way to the female to fertilize the embryos of the female and form seeds.  This can be accomplished by wind, insects or mere proximity of the flowers.  With some species, large amounts of pollen are formed in the male flowers.  A flick of the finger against a mature male flower will produce a cloud of pollen dust that can be seen traveling away from the male.  Such a species is Chamaedorea tepejilote.  On seeing this, one can understand how wind could carry pollen to a waiting female receptive flower.  Other species like Chamaedorea geonomiformis form an almost sticky pollen that doesn't seem to be wind dispersed. When flowers form on the trunks of the plants, they are attached to the trunk and near the lowest leaves or interspersed among the base of the leaves.  They are often brilliant colors.  Many times this color is orange and quite beautiful. After pollination, seeds take anywhere from three to six months to form and the resulting seeds are many colors including black, orange and red.  Size of the seeds is variable, but typically about 1/8 to 1/2 inch in size.  The colorful layer of fruit around the hard seed is typically removed before germination.  Below are pictures of flowers and seeds from the very desirable Chamaedorea benzei.  Although a single trunk plant, these are used as multiple plants in one pot to give the suckering appearance.  The photos of the flowers are representative of Bamboo Palm flowers.

Immature male blossom, C. benzei.  Note how the flower is quite branched.	Female flower, C. benzei.  Note how this flower is less branched than the male.  Very tiny immature fruit is forming.	Chamaedorea hooperiana, loaded with green seeds.  They'll turn black when mature.
Formed but still not ripe seeds on a female blossom, C. arenbergiana	male blossom Chamaedorea costaricana	Although it is simple blossom, this is a male blossom of Chamaedorea stolinifera

At the young age of this nursery plant, Chamaedorea seifrtzii is a fairly attractive plant.

This older plant shows how w it can get lanky and sparse.  Note the very short leaves.

Garden specimen of Chamaedorea seifrtzii.  Note how open the crown of leaves is open and sparse.

A 15g size nursery grown Chamaedorea hooperiana

Photo by TS at RPS

A mature Chamaedorea hooperiana.  Note how full and strong this plant is.

The trunks of Chamaedorea costaricana are a similar caliber compared to hooperiana, but the overall appearance is sometimes more open as seen here on this nursery plant.  Also, the leaves are a bit shorter than hooperiana.

With this C. costaricana you can see how it has a more open appearance.  Note how this plant is growing in presumed full sun.

Chamaedorea costaricana, about 8 feet tall in a garden setting

CHAMAEDOREA CATARACTARUM Sometimes this palm is referred to as the Dwarf Bamboo Palm.  It comes from Mexico and lives in wet habitats near river edges.  The term "catactarum" is referenced to the fact that this plant lives near rivers and likes water.  It is known in the trade as the Cat Palm.  It rarely gets a height above five feet.  If it sees dry air or is not heavily watered, it tends to do poorly and get develop tip burn to the leaves.  Also, it doesn't seem to like the dryer interior environment inside a house.  We've found as a nursery product, it is inferior to the two above.  But, it has the advantage of better tolerating sun.

Chamaedorea cataractarum, photo by HJD.  Note the short stature.

CHAMAEDOREA MICROSPADIX This is a medium sized Bamboo Palm with thin reed-like trunks, small to medium length leaves and a very open appearance.  In my experience it grows to a height of about 8 feet, although plants to twelve feet have been reported.   Often its leaves have an iridescent sheen to them and sometimes the underside is a glaucous silver color.  Because of the very thin trunks, stems on mature clumps will often lean out from the central area of the clump.  Fruits on females are plentiful with a bright red color, often with clusters of seeds hanging among the leaves.  Another feature of this palm is its cold hardiness, reported to tolerate temperatures into the upper teens.  For those living in a colder area, this might be the perfect Bamboo Palm.  In more recent years, this species has been difficult to find.

A mature clump of Chamaedorea microspadix, another type of Bamboo Palm.

This photo shows the iridescent sheen to the leaves of Chamaedorea microspadix.

Chamaedorea microspadix, looking from above down onto the crown.  This shot shows how stems lean outwards, opening up the crown of leaves.

CHAMAEDOREA HYBRIDS Over the past several decades, nurserymen have developed many hybrids, looking for a superior Bamboo Palm.  This is done by taking pollen from a male species and applying this pollen to a receptive female palm.  The first name in the hybrid represents the seed bearing female.  One famous cross was called the Irvine Cantor Hybrid.  This was a cross between Chamaedorea costaricana and Chamaedorea pochutlensis.  Both of these parent suckering Chamaedorea species were very nice in their own rite.  The cross was meant to give a tall, prettier hybrid.  One of my personal favorite hybrids was a cross between Chamaedorea costaricana and "Chamaedorea schippii".  The latter is an unrecognized variety of costaricana with very thick canes.  This cross gave powerful thick trunks with nice height and fullness.

Chamaedorea costaricana X schippii, a very desirable hybrid Bamboo Pal

Chamaedorea costaricana x schippi, mature at 14 to 16 feet

A Chamaedordea hybrid at the nursery

GROWING BAMBOO PALMS Bamboo Palms are not difficult to grow.  As a rule, assume that they like filtered light or shade.  Sometimes they will tolerate some sun, but this is perhaps the exception for most localities.  They prefer good draining soil and adequate root room in their container in grown in a pot.  In general, one should not allow the soil to become overly dry.  Typically watering outdoors is once to three times a week when the weather is warm.  A mild slow release fertilizer should be applied about three times per year.  Try not to use a quick release fertilizer if possible as this can lead to leaf damage.  Cold tolerance for most species is into the upper twenties, F.  Chamaedorea microspadix is the most cold hardy of those species described above.  If you are attempting to grow any of these species from seeds, clean off the fruit before potting them up.  Germination typically takes about three to six months.  Below are a few pictures of perfect locations in the garden for Bamboo Palms.

Between two buildings in shade is a perfect location for Chamaedoreas.

In a garden area with overhead tall plants is ideal for an assortment of Bamboo Palms.

Along an understory pathway is also perfect for these shade palms.

Chamaedorea costaricana hybrid, closer view of the leaves from above

This photo shows a garden specimen Bamboo Palms with its many trunks.

An example of the miniature Bamboo Palm

Thank you for reading this article.  We'll try to update some photos over time.  For more information on Chamaedorea
with lots of photos of the species, click below on two more articles on the subject.

Phil Bergman

Owner

Jungle Music Palms and Cycads

Nursery: 450 Ocean View Ave, Encinitas, CA 92924

Phone: 619 291 4605

Email: phil.bergman@junglemusic.net

TO READ A MORE COMPREHENSIVE ARTICLE ON
CHAMAEDOREAS AS A GROUP, CLICK HERE

TO READ ABOUT SPECIFIC CHAMAEDOREA SPECIES
(SHADE PALMS), CLICK HERE

 

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