Chamaedorea stolonifera

This palm has an almost unique superpower to slowly spread via creeping stems, that then curve into upright mini trunks with fishtail leaves. Makes a wide colony. Crawls out of pots.
Chamaedorea stolonifera
height 3–6ft
width 2–10ft
tolerates Pots
water
needs		 Moderate
water
info		 This palm should be watered deeply every week or two once it’s established. It doesn’t want to ever dry out completely.
hardy
to		 26F
exposure Full Shade – Part Sun
indoor
outdoor		 Outdoor
drainage In Ground: Cactus Mix, In Pots: Cactus Mix, Tolerates Sandy Soil
fertilizing Palm Fertilizer
origin SE Mexico
california
native		 No
sunset
zones		 16, 17, 21–24

Sunset Zones Map

Outdoor Exposure Guide

Growing Notes

Palms are generally heavy feeders, so if you want them growing quickly and looking their best, they should be fertilized at least three times a year. Fertilizing at spring equinox, summer solstice and fall equinox will allow for a winter rest. Be sure to feed your palm with a fertilizer that contains micronutrients, especially if you see yellowing leaves or yellow spots on the leaves. Be sure your palm fertilizer contains micronutrients, particularly magnesium. Since this palm is very slow be sure to fertilize it well.
Suckering palms like this one send out additional palm trunks from the base of the palm over time, so that you’ll end up with multiple trunks on one palm. On this palm the suckers move further and further from the base, making a wide colony. If you want fewer trunks, go ahead and thin out the suckers.
You can prune off older chamaedorea leaves when they start to look ratty, or wait until they are completely dried up. Either way, once the leaf sheath (the part of the leaf that wraps around the trunk of the palm) dries up, you can just pull it right off, exposing the green trunk. Once this is done, your palm trunks will resemble bamboo canes, which is what gives this palm one of its common names: the bamboo palm.

Special Interest

This palm’s juicy lush look is an absolute must-have when creating a tropical garden in a temperate climate. Mix it with other broad-leafed flowering plants like cannas, hedychiums, philodendrons, or monsteras.