Palm identification help

[AAMac]

Hi All,

I'm new to the forum, and to palm trees--though I enjoyed looking at them when I lived in LA. I currently live in Maryland, and in terms of outdoor gardening, I stick exclusively to native and edible plants. So inside my house, it's always nice to be able to grow some slightly more exotic plants. Anyway, long story short, yesterday I purchased my first palm. I don't have the greenest thumb, and what success I've had with growing plants in pots, I attribute entirely to having done fairly thorough research into which species and cultivars are hardy, and which are not. I decided I wanted a palm for a slightly dim (though by no means dark) section of the living room, and read in a number of places that Kentia was the best choice. However, after searching most of the nurseries in my area, all I could find was Majesty Palm, which most people seem to consider unsuitable as a houseplant. Curious that growers keep selling it as one, but that is fodder for a different discussion. Finally, yesterday, I found a nursery that had a variety of Parlor Palms, which I had read were a decent alternative to Kentia. I splurged on the largest one, got it home, only to read in a few places that Chamaedorea Elegans doesn't grow more than 4 feet indoors. Well, the one I purchased is around 6 feet, even if you don't count the pot. I did read in a few other places that Parlor Palm can indeed reach such heights. There's a lot of questionable information floating around on the internet, so I thought I would go straight to the experts. I'm hoping that this is really just a large example, and that I wasn't dealing with an unscrupulous nursery. Thanks in advance for your help.  Cheers. 

Edited October 24, 2018 by AAMac

[PalmatierMeg]

You have a grouping of Chamaedorea elegans, which is a solitary palm in habitat. Years ago a forum member posted a photo of his grandmother's potted C. elegans in the mid-west. She had been growing it 35 years and it was 8' tall. This is a slow growing palm so you don't have to worry about it hitting the ceiling anytime soon, particularly if you keep it indoors in a low light location. Welcome to PalmTalk.

[Pal Meir]

Looking to me like Chamaedorea seifrizii, a clustering species.

[mdsonofthesouth]

Elegans do NOT like direct sun. Left some out for 2 hours and they burned up pretty bad.

[PalmatierMeg]

1 hour ago, Pal Meir said:

Looking to me like Chamaedorea seifrizii, a clustering species.

Oops, guess I should have studied those photos more closely. Still, your cluster should do well indoors. I had one when I lived in VA.

[AAMac]

1 hour ago, PalmatierMeg said:

You have a grouping of Chamaedorea elegans, which is a solitary palm in habitat. Years ago a forum member posted a photo of his grandmother's potted C. elegans in the mid-west. She had been growing it 35 years and it was 8' tall. This is a slow growing palm so you don't have to worry about it hitting the ceiling anytime soon, particularly if you keep it indoors in a low light location. Welcome to PalmTalk.

Thanks to everyone who responded. I'm glad it is indeed a Chamaedorea elegans. I hope I can keep it alive and happy for a long time, though 35 years might be a bit much to hope for. It will be in a spot with 12' ceilings, so I doubt it will ever run out of vertical space. 

[CarolineWard]

We just hope it always remains healthy and green!

[Pal Meir]

8 hours ago, AAMac said:

Thanks to everyone who responded. I'm glad it is indeed a Chamaedorea elegans. I hope I can keep it alive and happy for a long time, though 35 years might be a bit much to hope for. It will be in a spot with 12' ceilings, so I doubt it will ever run out of vertical space. 

Hello? It can not be a Ch elegans, but it is indeed a Ch seifrizii. Look at the enlarged photo detail:

[AAMac]

3 hours ago, Pal Meir said:

Hello? It can not be a Ch elegans, but it is indeed a Ch seifrizii. Look at the enlarged photo detail:

Sorry. I misread the consensus last night. What can you tell me about seifrizii? Will it do well under similar conditions to elegans? I’m basically wondering whether I should raise the issue of it being mislabeled with the nursery, or just enjoy the plant for what it is. Thanks. 

[PalmatierMeg]

I would just enjoy the plant. The pot was mislabeled at the source and your Baltimore nursery probably knows nothing about palms other than what the label reads. You will not find a grouping of Cham elegans as tall as these palms as cheap. C. seifrizii is a natural clumper and should adjust well to your low light conditions. Just keep an eye out for inevitable spider mites, mealybugs and scale that thrive in dry northern homes.

[AAMac]

Thanks. I like the look of it, so I will keep it. Just wanted to make sure it’s a suitable variety. I appreciate all the help. Cheers.