Plant Profile: Chamaedorea microspadix - The Bamboo Palm
Height: 3 metres.
Requirements: Sun or shade.
Chamaedorea microspadix is a delicate, multi-stemmed palm. It is best grown in light dappled shade, say beneath taller palms or trees. While it thrives in moist conditions, it should be provided with reasonably well-drained (i.e. not boggy!) soil.
Once the clump has established, the stems may, at a distance, resemble a medium-sized bamboo - hence the palm's common name. Its fairly small dimensions make it a good plant for indoor or outdoor cultivation. It could also be a good plant for a tub on the patio.
It is a fairly fast growing palm (as palms go!). Just be sure to keep it well-watered in the summer. The main drawback is that its leaves may develop brown edges in winter, if the plants over-watered or if scorched by the sun. This is only a temporary problem, though. New green growth reappears by mid summer. Once established the palm quickly forms a dense clump.
In our garden it has survived freezes at -6C. Other growers claim it can survive -8C or lower.
Bamboo Palm, a delicate, cold-hardy relative of the
common Parlour Palm (Chamaedorea elegans)
