Culture
Best grown in rich, evenly moist, well-draining soils in part shade but tolerant of a wide range of growing conditions including dryer soils and shadier conditions. Avoid direct afternoon sun. Tolerant of occasional inundation as long as soils are well-draining. Low tolerance for salt spray. Hardy in Zones 10-11. Roots are hardy into Zone 9, but fronds can be damaged by frost.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Chamaedorea seifrizii, commonly called bamboo palm, is a small, clumping palm native to rainforest understories of Mexico and Central America. Mature clumps are densely packed with stems and will reach up to 10' tall and spread to 3-6' wide. The slender, upright to leaning stems have distinct nodes giving them a bamboo-like appearance. The stems are topped with 1.5-2' long, pinnate fronds with linear leaflets reaching around 8" long and 1" wide. The 4-6" long, branched inflorescences emerge from the base of old leaf sheaths bearing small, yellow flowers. Male and female flowers are borne on separate inflorescences. The female inflorescences turn from green to bright orange as the small, round fruits mature from green to black.
Genus name comes from the Greek words chamai meaning on the ground and dorea meaning a gift as the fruits are easily reached from the ground.
The specific epithet seifrizii honors William Seifriz (1888-1955), an American scientist whose research areas included plant physiology, cell biology, and biophysics.
The common name bamboo palm refers to the stems of this species which superficially resemble bamboo. The two plants are not closely related.
Problems
Susceptible to gliocladium stem blight, root rot, and stem rot. Mealy bugs, scale, and spider mites can be problematic, particularly on specimens grown indoors.
Uses
Suitable for use as an accent or massed for a screen in tropical gardens. Can also be grown in colder climates in large containers and overwintered indoors or in a heated greenhouse.