Chamaedorea: Planting and Care

Description and botany

Chamaedorea elegans. Botanical plate from 1858

The Chamaedorea is a small to medium-sized palm from the Arecaceae family, which includes all palm trees. It originates from the humid tropical forests or wooded mountains of South America, Central America and Mexico. The Chamaedorea genus comprises around 120 species of small palms, among which we find the Chamaedorea elegans, “Parlour Palm” or “Mountain Palm”, which is the most common, the Chamaedorea klotzschiana, rarer in cultivation, the Chamaedorea ernesti-augusti, “Ernest August’s Palm”, another small-growing species, or the Chamaedorea metallica, a dwarf species with blue leaves.

This is a slow-growing palm, increasing by about one ring per year. It does not grow very tall, rarely exceeding 3 to 5 m in height at most in open ground, making it perfectly suited to container cultivation and easily integrated into a small garden. It is not very hardy, so it can only be grown outdoors in our mildest regions, which is why in our latitudes it is cultivated indoors in pots, where it will not exceed 1.50 to 1.80 m in height with a spread of 90 cm.

The habit is slender and very graceful, much like the Chamaedorea elegans. The Chamaedorea, like all palms, develops a trunk or stipe. In this palm, it is narrow, 2 to 5 cm in diameter. Marked by the rings of old petioles and green in colour, it resembles a bamboo cane.

Chamaedorea costaricana (© Dick Culbert) and Chamaedorea elegans

At the top of each stipe unfolds a crown of evergreen foliage that remains decorative all year round. From the stipe emerge large leaves that bring a great deal of exotic appeal. The foliage varies depending on the species, being either segmented or notched. The leaves can be pinnate, divided into large and numerous pairs of leaflets, or bifid, meaning split into two segments at their tip like a fish tail. These fronds can measure up to 80 cm long and 30 cm wide. They lengthen over time. This type of palm produces 2 to 3 new fronds per year, each living for several years. As with other palms, they are thick, leathery, and traversed by numerous parallel veins. The leaves are green in colour, ranging from a beautiful light green to dark green, sometimes with a metallic blue hue.

The foliage varies among Chamaedoreas, here from left to right: Chamaedorea fragrans (© Jungle Rebel), Chamaedorea tuerchkeimii (© Daniel Rengel), Chamaedorea elegans and Chamaedorea metallica (Forest and Kim Starr)

Flowering occurs between May and October, after 3 or 4 years of cultivation, but it is very rare in cultivation. Indoors, the plant tends to flower more easily. The flowering emerges near the stipe, between the leaves. It takes the form of panicles of generally yellow flowers, grouped into glomerules like those of the mimosa, 15 to 40 cm long, erect, simple or branched. The flowers are orange-red in Chamaedorea ernesti-augusti and are gathered in clusters on erect then trailing branches, giving the inflorescences of this species the appearance of curious tentacles.

It is a dioecious tree, meaning there are male plants, with only male flowers, and female plants with only female flowers. The flowering takes on a different appearance depending on whether one is dealing with male or female individuals, and both genders must be present for the plant to bear fruit.

The flowers then turn into small, round, inedible and toxic fruits, coral or red in colour, turning black when ripe.

Placed in the home, the Chamaedorea absorbs pollutants present in indoor air such as tobacco or volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emanating from paints, cleaning products, chipboard furniture or floor coverings.

Main species

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Planting Chamaedorea

Where to Plant Them?

Most Chamaedoreas require warmth. They are very sensitive to cold, tolerating only -1 to -4°C at most, and only briefly. This is why, in our latitudes, they are easier to acclimatise in pots in a conservatory or bright room rather than in open ground. This type of palm can only be planted in open ground in the most sheltered gardens of the French Riviera or the Atlantic coast. Provide them with a sheltered position, protected from cold, dry winds, in partial shade, as they dislike harsh sunlight. The ideal location is under the canopy of large trees.

In frost-free regions, they appreciate soil that is consistently slightly moist, light, rich in compost, and well-drained.

Elsewhere, they should be grown in pots to adorn the terrace during the warmer months and moved to a frost-free shelter in colder regions, or they can make a stunning orangerie plant indoors. In this case, place your pot in a very bright spot, as the Chamaedorea adapts to any heated room between 12 and 20°C maximum (never below 10°C), while avoiding direct sunlight, nearby radiators, and draughts. Indoors, they prefer filtered light, sheltered from the sun’s scorching rays.

In open ground, Chamaedoreas naturally fit into an exotic border or as a standalone feature on a short grass meadow. As these are compact palms, they are easy to grow in a large pot, which you can place, for example, on a terrace or balcony to add a magnificent exotic touch.

When to Plant Chamaedoreas?

We recommend planting Chamaedoreas in spring, around March to May, after the last frosts. In pots, you can plant them as late as September.

Chamaedorea elegans (© Dick Culbert)

How to Plant Them?

In open ground

Choose a well-sheltered spot in dappled shade, protected from full sun, which could scorch the foliage.

• Dig a large planting hole, two to three times the size of the root ball
• If your soil tends to retain water, spread a layer of gravel or clay pebbles at the bottom of the hole
• Position the palm upright in the centre
• Fill with a mix of turf and soil, taking care not to bury the base of the trunk
• Water generously
• Mulch around the base to keep the soil cool

In pots

This palm is easily grown in pots, to be placed on the terrace in summer and brought indoors to shelter from frost in winter. You can plant several specimens in one pot.

• Choose a pot with drainage holes, at least 30 to 40 litres in size
• Add a drainage layer at the bottom (clay pebbles, broken pottery, etc.)
• Plant your palm without burying the trunk in a mix of good garden soil, houseplant compost, and coarse sand
• Water moderately
• Place it in shade or indoors

Maintenance

In the Ground

Chamaedoreas need water and the soil should remain cool in summer. The soil should stay moist, but not waterlogged. In winter, water only if rainfall is scarce. Water once or twice a week in summer. Mulch around the base to keep its roots cool in summer and warm in winter.

Apply organic fertiliser (compost) in spring and summer by lightly working it into the soil around the base of your palm.

We recommend protecting it in winter by wrapping it in horticultural fleece.

In Pots

Be mindful of the dry air in heated interiors during winter! When grown in pots indoors, Chamaedoreas require high and consistent humidity. Water once or twice a week in summer with rainwater or mineral water at room temperature, allowing the substrate to dry out between waterings. You can place a layer of clay pebbles in the saucers.

Apply organic fertiliser for houseplants once a month from April to September.

At the first sign of frost, if you live in a cold region, bring your pots indoors or into a greenhouse (ideally at 18-20°C) in a bright spot, but avoid direct sunlight and draughts. Mist the foliage regularly with clean water, then gently wipe the leaves with a damp cloth or sponge. Reduce watering in winter to once a week, allowing the substrate to dry out slightly between waterings, and stop fertilising.

Cut dried leaves at the base of the stem.

You can move your pots back outside in spring after the last frosts.

Also consider repotting in spring, when the roots have outgrown the pot, typically every 3-4 years, each time choosing a slightly larger pot. Alternatively, you can simply top-dress annually by adding a fresh layer of compost a few centimetres deep.

Diseases and parasitic pests

The Chamaedorea is rarely diseased. If brown spots appear on the leaves, this is likely due to scorching from direct sunlight. Move your plant to a less exposed location and trim the affected leaves. If underwatered, the leaf tips may dry out.

Indoors, if the ambient air is too hot and dry, red spider mites can threaten the foliage: mist the leaves regularly, as they dislike humidity.

If overwatered, rot may endanger your palm: allow the compost to dry out thoroughly before resuming more moderate watering. If necessary, you can repot it in fresh, well-draining compost, ensuring a good layer of clay pebbles at the bottom of the pot and adding some coarse sand to the planting mix.

Mealybugs leave small white cottony clusters under the leaves: in case of infestation, remove them with a cotton pad soaked in 90°C alcohol and spray with rapeseed oil.

To learn more, check out our article: “Diseases, Parasites, Deficiencies: Everything That Can Affect Your Chamaedorea”.

Propagation of Chamaedorea

The Chamaedorea propagates by sowing, but this operation is delicate and lengthy. It is reserved for expert gardeners. It requires constant heat (25-27°C) and humidity. The seeds are sown in spring in a tray filled with potting compost and placed in a heated greenhouse. Germination is slow and can take up to 3 months. Transplant the young plants into buckets filled with compost and allow them to strengthen before transplanting them into the garden or into pots.

Pair with

With its lush foliage, the Chamaedorea palm creates an exotic atmosphere or beautiful Mediterranean scenes.

In frost-free regions, in a partially shaded border, surround it with Yucca, and other palms that appreciate dappled shade like Phoenix roebelinii, Japanese banana trees (Musa basjoo), along with other lush-leaved plants such as Gunnera, Euphorbias, Tetrapanax papyrifera ‘Rex’, or tree ferns.

In a more mineral composition, it pairs well with Phormiums, Cordylines, and Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ with their graphic and colourful foliage, as well as small Fargesia bamboos like ‘Bimbo’.

You can complement it with the vibrant flowerings of Crocosmias and Cannas.

It can also be planted in a very large pot on the terrace, or near a swimming pool with a carpet of golden pearlwort or plectranthus at its base.

Chamaedorea elegans at the centre, accompanied by Gunnera manicata, Dicksonia antarctica, Yucca and Cordyline australis ‘Torbay Dazzler’