CHAMAEDOREA PALM
THE REED PALM, PARLOR PALM, AND OTHER SHADE PALMS
OF THE GENUS CHAMAEDOREA
INTRODUCTION
Chamaedoreas are a very diverse group of palm trees mostly from Mexico and Central America with a few South American species. Most are single trunk and some sucker or have multiple stems. There are over one hundred different types or species of Chamaedorea. An amazing thing about this group of palms is that there are many contrasting appearances among the group, all distinct in their own rite. Some are miniature, only a foot tall and others are over twenty feet tall. Some have tiny thin trunks while others have robust stems. But, all are pinnate (feather) leafed palms. In this article I will discuss Chamaedoreas as a group, cover their characteristics and morphology, discuss various interesting species and point out the main points in culture of these palms.
![]() Chamaedorea elegans, the Parlor Palm |
![]() Chamaedorea ernesti-augsti |
Chamaedorea hybrid |
GENERAL APPEARANCE OF CHAMAEDOREA PALMS
As mentioned above, Chamaedorea is a very diverse group of palm trees. This is one of the most charming things about this family. The noted author on Chamaedorea palms is Don Hodel of UCLA in California. His book on the subject demonstrated the vast number of species in existence and the variability in their appearance and stature. I shall cover below certain morphology characteristics that all have in common, followed by some of the differences we see in the species. This is not meant to be a complete list, but enough to give the reader a feel for this genus. These represent my observations of this genus, and you will find that the list of differences is much longer than the list of common characteristics.
CHARACTERISTICS COMMON TO ALL OR MOST CHAMADOREA:
Feather palms, none are fan palms
Tubular trunks that may be either very short or tall
New World plants, i.e. from the Americas
Understory palms (almost all) and prefer filtered light
Dioecious, meaning there are male and female plants
Green leaves although some may have an iridescent or metallic sheen
If trunking, all have prominent rings on the trunk
All are candidates for greenhouse, atrium or interior usage
All are beautiful in their own way
Chamaedorea trunk showing rings |
Chamaedorea linearis, a rather large species for the genus |
The classical pinnate or feather leaf |
CHARACTERISTICS THAT DIFFER AMONG VARIOUS CHAMAEDOREAS
Some are short or even miniature while others are very tall and stout
Some have a modified pinnate leaf, taking on the simple or complete pair of
leaflets appearing as if one leaflet.
Some have an obvious crown shaft while with others it is modified or almost
absent.
Some are very compact while others have long stretching leaves
Some have a single trunk (majority) while others form clumps and are suckering
Some bear red fruit while others produce orange, black or other shades of fruit
Some species look totally different as an adult compared with their juvenile
appearance
One of the suckering Chamadorea, C. seifritzii |
Three side by side Chamaedorea single trunk species, C. glaucifolia |
Simple leaf Chamaedorea, C. ernesti-agusti |
Below we shall discuss the different parts and characteristics of Chamaedorea so, as we discuss each species, the reader will understand the descriptions.
CHAMAEDOREA PINNATE LEAVES
All Chamaedorea are a pinnate leaf palm. Some refer to this as a "feather leaf". This means that there is a central stem with leaflets coming off the side of that stem. The stem where leaflets are attached is called the rhacis. The portion of the stem between the main trunk and the leaflets is called the petiole. Individual leaflets attach to the stem. As a whole, the entire structure is called a "leaf", composed of many leaflets. Sometimes there are no divisions between the leaflets. When this occurs, it is called a simple leaf, an undivided leaf or a complete leaf. Of note, the width of leaflets is variable, some being very thin and others quite wide. Sometimes leaflets are grouped in bunches on the rhacis. Other times they are widely separated. Sometimes the leaf as a whole is very flat in cross section. Other times the leaflets are projected at various angles from the rhacis. This produces a fluffy or plumose type of leaf.
The main distinction here is that Chamaedorea are pinnate type leafs as opposed to a fan leaf. Length of these leaves is quite variable, some being less than 12 inches and others stretching out to almost 8 feet. In contrast, a fan palm leaf has a solid or near solid circular type leaf coming from the end of its leaf stem.
Example of pinnate leaf, C. linearis |
Wider leaflets, pinnate, C. nationsiana |
![]() Simple or complete leaf, C. ernesti- augustii |
![]() Grouped leaflets, C. klotzchiana |
![]() Plumose leaf (fluffy) with multiple planes, C. plumosa |
In contrast, the fan shaped leaf of Bismarckia nobilis |
SOME CHAMAEDOREAS ARE SINGLE TRUNK, OTHER SUCKERING PALMS
A suckering palm (multi-stem palm) is one that naturally produces more than one vertical stem or trunk. Typically one trunk will form. At a certain age, from the bottom of the first trunk, additional trunks will appear. As they grow, the first trunk will usually be the tallest of the trunks until maturity is reached. A suckering palm may have two or three trunks or dozens. It is important to distinguish this from a single trunk species where the nurseryman puts more than one plant in the same pot. This gives the appearance of a suckering palm but is not one. Such a plant will never increase the number of trunks. In contrast, typically a suckering palm will continually over the years add more trunks to the plant. The classic Bamboo Palm is a suckering species.
Single trunk species, C. alternans. This plant will always have just one trunk. |
Suckering species, C. hooperiana. Note how new basilar stems are forming. |
Chamaedorea plumosa: although tall, this is a single trunk species. |
Suckering Chamaedorea hooperiana, a suckering pinnate Chamaedorea |
![]() Although a simple leaf plant, this Cham. brachypoda is a suckering species |
![]() Chamaedorea plumosa planted as multiples for a fuller appearance |