Tropical Plant Database - Plant Details

Chamaedorea seifrizii, or Bamboo palm, forms clusters of stems each of which is very narrow and resembles bamboo in appearance. The stems are divided into sections made up of nodes at which leaves are produced and long regions between the nodes called internodes. After the leaves have fallen the nodes can easily be seen along the stem, which gives both bamboo and the bamboo palm stems their characteristic striped appearance. At the base of the stem, just above the soil surface small roots called adventitious roots can often be seen. The individual leaves of Bamboo palm, which are often referred to as fronds, can be as long as 45 cm long and contain up to 14 shiny, dark green, leaflets on each side of the frond. Separate plants produce pollen (staminate) and ovule (pistillate) producing flowers t in clusters or inflorescences. The inflorescences can often be seen below the palm fronds. When mature the small fruit are black and only about 1 cm in diameter.

(Staples, G. W. and D. R. Herbst. 2005. A Tropical Garden Flora: Plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawai‘i.)

The flesh of the fruit can irritate the skin and should not be handled.

(Staples, G. W. and D. R. Herbst. 2005. A Tropical Garden Flora: Plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawai‘i.)

The genus Chamaedorea is native to central Mexico south through Central America to Brazil and Bolivia in South America. There are over 600 Chamaedorea species, around six of which are popular as indoor plants. The native habitat of Bamboo palm is in seasonally dry forests in Honduras and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. This natural drought tolerance has led to its cultivation in xeriscape gardens--gardens that use species requiring little watering in an effort to reduce excessive water requirements of cultivated landscapes.

(Staples, G. W. and D. R. Herbst. 2005. A Tropical Garden Flora: Plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawai‘i.)

The genus name Chamaedorea is derived from the Greek words chamai meaning on the ground and dorea meaning a gift in reference to the fruit. This name notes that unlike many other palms that have fruit out of reach at the top of very tall plants, the fruit of Chamaedorea species is closer to the ground and therefore can be more easily reached.

(Staples, G. W. and D. R. Herbst. 2005. A Tropical Garden Flora: Plants cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands and other tropical places. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawai‘i.)

Chamaedorea seifrizii is one of the most popular species in cultivation due to its graceful clusters of stems and its drought tolerance. It is also resistant to the fungal infection caused by Gliocladium stem blight (Gliocladium vermoeseni), which causes yellowing and eventual death of stem and fronds tissue of other Chamaedorea palm species.
All species of Chamaedorea palms can be propogated from root suckers which allows the production of a large number of individuals more quickly than if seed germination is required.

(Henley, R. W., Chase, A.R., and L.S. Osborne. 1991. Central Florida Research and Education Center. A Foliage Plant Research Note RH-91-10.)
(McRitchie, J.J. 1976. Stem and Frond Necrosis of Palm. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry. Plant Pathology Circular 173.)

We currently have 1 herbarium specimens for Chamaedorea seifrizii in our collection. Click on any specimen below to view the herbarium sheet data.

• Unassigned - collected by Tim Flynn in 1994