Chamaedorea appreciation post

[Josue Diaz]

I was never a big believer in chamaedorea, but I think that's changed. For a z9b garden where frost is likely each year, they are the equivalent of the ultra-tropical pretty things we can't grow here. Here's my little chamaedorea corner today. I have a handful of elegans, some radicalis (a few trunking seedlings in there...) woodsoniana, cataractarum, benziei, seifrizii, oreophila hooperiana. I feel like now I need a few of those whole-leaf types like geonomiformis, metallica & ernesti-augusii.

 

[tinman10101]

Very nice Josue!  Since we both are in 9b, I can tell you that Ernesti-Augustii and Metallica (Bifid and Split Leaf) will do well for you under shade.  I do have Brachypoda but its in a pot and I take it in during Winter.  I had some in the ground and it died in our cold.  

[Chester B]

They look great @Josue Diaz.  I think they look best mass planted and really bring a nice tropical style to the understory.

[Silas_Sancona]

12 minutes ago, tinman10101 said:

Very nice Josue!  Since we both are in 9b, I can tell you that Ernesti-Augustii and Metallica (Bifid and Split Leaf) will do well for you under shade.  I do have Brachypoda but its in a pot and I take it in during Winter.  I had some in the ground and it died in our cold.  

^^ 2nd this 100% .. both sp. are very easy / hardy..  Will even tolerate some  more extreme heat where you're at,  but only if shaded..  C. stolonifera would work as well, but you might place where if it spreads around a bit, it won't be a hassle to trim any un-wanted suckers.

[Darold Petty]

9 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

  C. stolonifera would work as well, but you might place where if it spreads around a bit, it won't be a hassle to trim any un-wanted suckers.

by 'trim' you mean divide and propagate !  My late friend, John Rees, produced at least 20 pots of this species from his large, in-ground grove.  

[Silas_Sancona]

1 hour ago, Darold Petty said:

by 'trim' you mean divide and propagate !  My late friend, John Rees, produced at least 20 pots of this species from his large, in-ground grove.  

Yes, lol definitely " ..trim to pass around / plant more elsewhere "

[tim_brissy_13]

Completely agree with all of your sentiments @Josue Diaz. Chamaedorea are great for temperate gardens for so many reasons - they are generally resistant to disease and extremely easy to cultivate providing there is sufficient shade and water. There’s not a huge amount of species that will grow in my tricky climate, but most Chamaedorea are fine and because they are generally small, you can fit many different species into little corners of the garden. I think I have around 30 Chamaedorea species or more now and rarely had an issue with any. 

[Josue Diaz]

7 hours ago, tinman10101 said:

Very nice Josue!  Since we both are in 9b, I can tell you that Ernesti-Augustii and Metallica (Bifid and Split Leaf) will do well for you under shade.  I do have Brachypoda but its in a pot and I take it in during Winter.  I had some in the ground and it died in our cold.  

Good to know! I had a nice Ernesti-augustii but my dog broke it when he was a rambunctious puppy and ran through this area. I'm going to be on the look out for both now.  

7 hours ago, Chester B said:

They look great @Josue Diaz.  I think they look best mass planted and really bring a nice tropical style to the understory.

Yes! absolutely agree. Mass planting is key, since they are so wispy and generally unimposing that a single plant could easily get lost in a landscape. Every year it seems like I add a clump or two of C. elegans you find at HD for a few bucks in the indoor plant section.

7 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

^^ 2nd this 100% .. both sp. are very easy / hardy..  Will even tolerate some  more extreme heat where you're at,  but only if shaded..  C. stolonifera would work as well, but you might place where if it spreads around a bit, it won't be a hassle to trim any un-wanted suckers.

**Adds stolonifera to list** I think Perry had a few of these last time I was there this past summer. I'll check back with him and make a trip of it

7 hours ago, Darold Petty said:

by 'trim' you mean divide and propagate !  My late friend, John Rees, produced at least 20 pots of this species from his large, in-ground grove.  

Always propagate! That's my motto. I won't throw out a cutting or division of anything, even if it's marginally viable haha 

39 minutes ago, tim_brissy_13 said:

Completely agree with all of your sentiments @Josue Diaz. Chamaedorea are great for temperate gardens for so many reasons - they are generally resistant to disease and extremely easy to cultivate providing there is sufficient shade and water. There’s not a huge amount of species that will grow in my tricky climate, but most Chamaedorea are fine and because they are generally small, you can fit many different species into little corners of the garden. I think I have around 30 Chamaedorea species or more now and rarely had an issue with any. 

Right?! I have had zero issues with any of those I listed. 10s all around in my book.

[JohnAndSancho]

I love my Chamaedoreas. I'd take some pics but everything is crammed into my apartment under the grow lights right now. My tallest and fastest growing palm is a C. Cataractarum that's been in a corner of my apartment under a grow light, and it basically gets the leftover water from Sancho's Taco Cabana cups. It's pushing a couple new fronds that are as tall as I am, and I know it's getting rootbound. 

 

I've got a smaller Cat, a Benzeii, a clump of Plumosa, some survivor Radicalis seedlings, and a chunky little Elegans seedling. Had more Elegans but they didn't make it due to lousy draining pots, and a pot full of them flew away in a wind storm last week. I'm having an internal struggle between buying a Sefrezeii for the office  or buying another pair of Allbirds right now 

[96720]

I have a cat palm in Phoenix growing in my pond it’s been almost a year now and it looks great 

[Josue Diaz]

3 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

I love my Chamaedoreas. I'd take some pics but everything is crammed into my apartment under the grow lights right now. My tallest and fastest growing palm is a C. Cataractarum that's been in a corner of my apartment under a grow light, and it basically gets the leftover water from Sancho's Taco Cabana cups. It's pushing a couple new fronds that are as tall as I am, and I know it's getting rootbound. 

 

I've got a smaller Cat, a Benzeii, a clump of Plumosa, some survivor Radicalis seedlings, and a chunky little Elegans seedling. Had more Elegans but they didn't make it due to lousy draining pots, and a pot full of them flew away in a wind storm last week. I'm having an internal struggle between buying a Sefrezeii for the office  or buying another pair of Allbirds right now 

Seifeizii is a solid palm. My vote goes to one of these haha

[Palmarum]

Members of the genus Chamaedorea are an easy and fun choice for much of Florida and especially S. Florida. The species are elegant, varied, durable and the majority of the 50+ species in cultivation can be grown here without many issues and mostly without the fear of cold damage. They have been a regular part of palm sales and collections throughout my time and much further back in local and worldwide plant history. I have seen great specimens in Chamaedorea-focused collections and met fans of the genus many times.

They are easy to grow & collect and adapt very well to life in containers. Many smaller and dwarf species are iconic for their ability to mature and set seed even before being in the ground. They have always been a part of society sale booklets, want lists, newsletters, recommended must have's and so on. Within the genus, there is a broad range between the very common, uncommon, rare, very rare, extremely rare and 'balls' rare species. The dioecious nature of the genus adds to the rarity and tacks on a depth to collecting specimens, as gender comes into play. A regular comment at palm events are when a collector mentions their specimen matured and unveiled it's gender... "Guess what, my Chamaedorea arenbergiana flowered, it's a female... now I need a male."

The popularity of the genus has fluctuated over the years but remains strong throughout. The release of Don Hodel's seminal work 'Chamaedorea Palms: The Species and Their Cultivation' in 1992 added fuel to the fire of fanaticism over the genus. Simply put, a must have book. I am looking at my copy now, making sure I get the title correct.

The genus Chamaedorea has been a key part of the palm family since it was first authored in 1806 and exists today with 105 species. There is potential for more, with the latest species Chamaedorea vanninii from Costa Rica, being authored a little over a year ago, in 2020. Some species have a stretch of cultivation over time, then vanish for a while, then come back again. There are representatives of this great genus almost everywhere, including the vast use as interiorscape foliage. I look forward to seeing the genus in more collections in the future.

Ryan

[Josue Diaz]

6 minutes ago, Palmarum said:

Members of the genus Chamaedorea are an easy and fun choice for much of Florida and especially S. Florida. The species are elegant, varied, durable and the majority of the 50+ species in cultivation can be grown here without many issues and mostly without the fear of cold damage. They have been a regular part of palm sales and collections throughout my time and much further back in local and worldwide plant history. I have seen great specimens in Chamaedorea-focused collections and met fans of the genus many times.

They are easy to grow & collect and adapt very well to life in containers. Many smaller and dwarf species are iconic for their ability to mature and set seed even before being in the ground. They have always been a part of society sale booklets, want lists, newsletters, recommended must have's and so on. Within the genus, there is a broad range between the very common, uncommon, rare, very rare, extremely rare and 'balls' rare species. The dioecious nature of the genus adds to the rarity and tacks on a depth to collecting specimens, as gender comes into play. A regular comment at palm events are when a collector mentions their specimen matured and unveiled it's gender... "Guess what, my Chamaedorea arenbergiana flowered, it's a female... now I need a male."

The popularity of the genus has fluctuated over the years but remains strong throughout. The release of Don Hodel's seminal work 'Chamaedorea Palms: The Species and Their Cultivation' in 1992 added fuel to the fire of fanaticism over the genus. Simply put, a must have book. I am looking at my copy now, making sure I get the title correct.

The genus Chamaedorea has been a key part of the palm family since it was first authored in 1806 and exists today with 105 species. There is potential for more, with the latest species Chamaedorea vanninii from Costa Rica, being authored a little over a year ago, in 2020. Some species have a stretch of cultivation over time, then vanish for a while, then come back again. There are representatives of this great genus almost everywhere, including the vast use as interiorscape foliage. I look forward to seeing the genus in more collections in the future.

Ryan

Reading your post makes me want to read more about the genus. Definitely adding that book to my wishlist. 

I saw chamaedorea in habitat in El Salvador for the first time a few years ago. I think that is what set off a renewed appreciation for the genus in my mind. 

[JohnAndSancho]

I know I've posted this in another thread, but here's my dog Sancho under a Benzeii. This plant constantly wants to flower even though I'm confident there isn't another for at least 50 miles.

I love my unpictured Plumosa as well, but here's my unit of an indoor grown Caracterum. This palm was ~3ft tall as a mail order generic Costa Farms plant mid 2020. It's been in a corner of my apartment under a grow light and primarily getting leftover water from Sancho's Taco Cabana cups. Waiting for some new fronds to open that are as tall as me. 

[JohnAndSancho]

Went to Home Depot to get parts for the pressure washer for work. Brought back a C. Cataractarum for my office. $20 for a ~4ft tall plant, I couldn't refuse. Of course because I'm a member of this forum I spent 30 minutes to find the healthiest one they had 

[Josue Diaz]

Since I love chams, I had to plant some on our property in Central America too. These are Chamaedorea tepejilote, which are native to this area. The inflorescense of this palm is a delicacy here (called pacaya), you can find them from time to time at the fruit & vegetable markets. 

[Fusca]

I've come to appreciate my C. radicalis which came back from consecutive nights of 9°F and 13°F unprotected.

 

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

7 hours ago, Fusca said:

I've come to appreciate my C. radicalis which came back from consecutive nights of 9°F and 13°F unprotected.

I believe all 9a gardens should have a clump of Radicalis growing for the skies. 

T J 

[palmfriend]

@Josue Diaz That is a nice thread and I share your feeling for this species.

But I have to admit that I had my focus more on other palms than the Chamedorea species until

I found two C. metallica palms in our home depot two years ago - completely out of the range

of the usually sold palms (D. lutescens, A. merillii, P. roebellenii etc.)  I liked them from the first

moment on, planted them out and had never trouble.

Last fall I had to cut down several Strelitzia nicolai plants (which I will not plant again) and

that let my C. metallica left out in the open - unprotected from the sun... I immediately realized

that I had to do something. The kick came with a stroll through our home depot in Jan.3rd this

year when I found another two C. metallica in the plant section. I purchased both of them (again)

and since I had built a wall/fence combination around the house during the last two years I have

now plenty of wind protected spots with with even a small canopy here and there. 

Too make it short, I moved my sun stressed C. metallica palms to the same spot where I have

planted out my recently purchased ones and now I have a small Chamadeorea grove which I 

really like to look at...

The two with the brighter leaves are the ones that were exposed to the sun for a while

but I am sure they will get that nice deep green/metallic look back soon.

It became a bit long, I apologize -

regards

Lars

 

 

[Josue Diaz]

44 minutes ago, palmfriend said:

@Josue Diaz That is a nice thread and I share your feeling for this species.

But I have to admit that I had my focus more on other palms than the Chamedorea species until

I found two C. metallica palms in our home depot two years ago - completely out of the range

of the usually sold palms (D. lutescens, A. merillii, P. roebellenii etc.)  I liked them from the first

moment on, planted them out and had never trouble.

Last fall I had to cut down several Strelitzia nicolai plants (which I will not plant again) and

that let my C. metallica left out in the open - unprotected from the sun... I immediately realized

that I had to do something. The kick came with a stroll through our home depot in Jan.3rd this

year when I found another two C. metallica in the plant section. I purchased both of them (again)

and since I had built a wall/fence combination around the house during the last two years I have

now plenty of wind protected spots with with even a small canopy here and there. 

Too make it short, I moved my sun stressed C. metallica palms to the same spot where I have

planted out my recently purchased ones and now I have a small Chamadeorea grove which I 

really like to look at...

The two with the brighter leaves are the ones that were exposed to the sun for a while

but I am sure they will get that nice deep green/metallic look back soon.

It became a bit long, I apologize -

regards

Lars

 

 

What in the world!? I'm going to be stalking my HD looking for metallicas now! Incredible looking palms you have

[wimmie]

Here in Te Netherlands Chameadorea's are for sale too. Elegans is an old school houseplant overhere and so are seifrizi and metallica. And every once and a while I come across a splitleaved metallica or a radicalis and a nationsiana. The photo to the left shows a clump with several undivided leaved metallica's and ONE with divided leaves, the photo to the right the flower of the nationsiana. That pot filled with metallica's was bingo for me, cause splitleaved metallica's are hard to get here. They all do well as houseplants overhere!

[Tracy]

On 1/18/2022 at 8:43 AM, Josue Diaz said:

I feel like now I need a few of those whole-leaf types like geonomiformis, metallica & ernesti-augusii.

Josue, you have a nice selection of Chamaedorea species.  Of the three whole leaf type, my experience is that the C metallica is the hardiest.  I would suggest two other species ahead of genomiformis and C ernesti-augusti as far as hardiness that while not whole leafed have wide leaflets.  Chamaedorea adscendens and Chamadorea oblongata have handled a good deal of sun in my garden after acclimating.  In your hotter and more intense sun, they would still want full shade, but I think they are worthy of a try. 

Chamaedorea adscendens has thick velvety leaflets, while Chamaedorea oblongata has a little thinner and glossy leaflets.

[Tracy]

Another Chamaedorea species worth appreciation and a try for you in Fresno is Chamaedorea neurochlamys.  I love the wide leafltets on this.  One thing to be aware of when planting is that they have very narrow gauge trunks.  My group planing required staking to keep the trunks upright.

[petiole10]

Some lovely Chamaedorea palms on this thread.

Here are mine:

Hooperiana and radicalis grouped together under canopy

 

Radicalis under tree canopy

 

Seifrizii and Metallica under cover of porch

 

 

 

[tjwalters]

Love this genus.  Here are a couple of mine, all in pots because I'm in z7a.  These were all grown from seed.
Triple C. tepejilote - picture from 2020.

C. tenella (C. geonomiformis) female.  Need pollen.

C. metallica w/ seeds from 2008.  It's quite a bit taller now.

C. klotzschiana (2014)

[Jeff-Florida]

Can anyone help me identify this  Chamaedorea, I originally thought Hooperiana but the fronds are only about 2ft long.  I bought it from a nursery that was going out of business so I didn't get any information.

Thank you

[Jeff-Florida]

Sorry, one more is this just a really old parlor palm?

Thank you again.

[Palmarum]

13 minutes ago, Jeff-Florida said:

Sorry, one more is this just a really old parlor palm? ...

Yup, I have a multiple-stemmed container plant that looks just like it.

Ryan

[Steve Mac]

12 hours ago, Jeff-Florida said:

Can anyone help me identify this  Chamaedorea,

Jeff, it looks like a  Chamaedorea costaricana to me, or Chamaedorea pochutlensis.

Those two are very similar, even looking for the ligules on the Poch I can't tell the difference. 

[Jeff-Florida]

Thank you

[Steve Mac]

Jeff you may know that the Ch. costericana and the other few "bamboo' palms are naturally clumping or multi-stemmed. But it looks like you have some seeds there so it is likely that there were three or four seeds in the pot to start with and you have male and female plants. Also, I would clean off the old dead leaf bases, the plant will look better and you won't get bugs and aphids under there. 

[Steve Mac]

13 hours ago, Jeff-Florida said:

one more is this just a really old parlor palm?

Yes, it is a bucket of 8 individual single stemmed Chamaedorea elegans.

[Manalto]

Piggybacking onto this post to share my pleasure in seeing my C. radicalis producing a new frond. This plant came from a nursery in Oregon (forgot the name) and has been through two winters, the first unprotected.

Waiting in the wings are six more germinated from seed kindly sent by DoomsDave. There shall be a grove - eventually.

[Jeff-Florida]

Very nice that is amazing