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A parlor palm (Chamaedorea eleganshear)) is a tropical evergreen perennial. It has slender stems and lengthy, arching fronds and grows as much as 3 to six toes tall indoors. Though it may be grown outdoor in hotter climates, it’s most frequently saved as a houseplant. It is a superb low upkeep houseplant. That is primarily as a result of its minimal mild necessities and its potential to thrive with out lots of fertilizer or water.
The bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifriziihear)) is also referred to as the reed palm or clustered parlor palm. It has an analogous look to the Parlor Palm. Its darkish inexperienced leaves have delicate leaflets that kind clusters at their ideas, making them appear to be bamboo shoots. In contrast to the Parlor Palm, which grows upwards, this sort of palm prefers oblique daylight indoors and can attain heights of round 4 to 7 toes when given sufficient room to unfold outwards. the skin. They’re extraordinarily hardy vegetation requiring little upkeep as soon as established of their surroundings. Each palms make nice additions to any dwelling inside, offering stunning greenery that does not require an excessive amount of effort! However there are slight variations between them, which we are going to focus on intimately under.
Front room palm in opposition to bamboo palm
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These two palms belong to the genus Chamaedorea and are native to the identical areas. They’re two tropical vegetation that like heat temperatures and excessive humidity. They’re barely totally different in dimension, development sample and care wants.
Attribute | parlor palm | bamboo palm tree |
---|---|---|
Scientific identify | Chamaedorea elegans | Chamaedorea seifrizii |
Peak | Inside 3 to 4 toes excessive. Exterior 9 toes. | Inside 4 to 7 toes excessive. Exterior 20 toes. |
Lighting necessities | Vibrant and oblique mild | Low or medium mild |
Water necessities | Dry frivolously between waterings | Consistently moist soil |
Toxicity | not poisonous. Could trigger pores and skin irritation | not poisonous. Could trigger pores and skin irritation |
development sample | Multistemmed and herbaceous | Clumping and woody |
Origins | Mexico by way of Honduras | Mexico by way of Honduras |
USDA hardiness | Areas 10a to 12b | Areas 10a to 12b |
flowers | yellow and orange | yellow and orange |
Flooring | Gentle and ethereal soil, wealthy in compost and effectively drained | Gentle and ethereal soil, wealthy in compost and effectively drained |
Humidity | Excessive humidity required | Excessive humidity required |
Key Variations Between Parlor Palm and Bamboo Palm
The primary variations between the parlor palm and the bamboo palm are development peak (the bamboo palm is taller), mild necessities (the parlor palm likes brighter mild), and watering necessities (the bamboo palm likes continually moist soil). We describe it intimately under.
Parlor Palm vs Bamboo Palm: Peak
The parlor palm, also referred to as the Neanthe bella palm or Chamaedorea elegans, is an evergreen perennial that usually grows to a peak of between 3 and 6 toes indoors. Open air within the wild, nonetheless, parlor palms can develop a lot taller and attain heights of as much as 10 toes below optimum situations. The bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii) is barely taller than the parlor palm indoors, with a typical peak between 4 and seven toes. Within the wild, this species can attain a peak of 20 toes, relying on its surroundings and the supply of assets resembling water and daylight.
Parlor Palm vs Bamboo Palm: Development Mannequin

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The expansion patterns of the parlor palm and the bamboo palm are fairly totally different. The parlor palm is mostly a multi-stemmed herbaceous plant with slender inexperienced stems that attain medium heights of as much as 4 toes indoors. Its fronds have slender leaflets and develop outward in an arching sample. In distinction, the bamboo palm is a clumping, woody species with bigger leaves than the parlor palm. It grows a lot slower however can attain heights of seven toes or extra if given sufficient time and area indoors. It additionally has thicker trunks than different palms, making it supreme for areas with little room for giant vegetation like these discovered outdoor. Each vegetation make nice additions to any indoor setting, however understanding their distinctive development patterns ought to make it easier to resolve which might be finest in your dwelling or workplace surroundings.
Area of origin
The parlor palm (Chamaedorea eleganshear)) is native to the rainforests of Central America, significantly Mexico and Guatemala. The bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifriziihear)) can also be native to tropical areas of Mexico and South America. Though each vegetation come from comparable areas, they’ve barely totally different care necessities, which we are going to focus on in additional element.
Lighting necessities

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The parlor palm is a houseplant that prefers vibrant, oblique mild. A south or east dealing with window is right for offering mild stability with out direct daylight. If you happen to can not entry such a window, synthetic lighting can be utilized as a substitute. As for the bamboo palm, it additionally prefers vibrant, oblique mild, however is barely extra tolerant of low mild situations than a lounge palm. It can nonetheless thrive in decrease ranges of pure or synthetic mild, however is not going to attain its full potential if grown in full shade for lengthy durations.
Water and humidity necessities
The parlor palm is extra drought tolerant and solely wants watering when the highest inch of soil has dried out. It doesn’t like to remain repeatedly moist. The bamboo palm prefers constantly moist soil, so it ought to be checked frequently for moisture ranges and watered as wanted. Each vegetation want excessive humidity and well-drained soil to thrive indoors. If both plant is uncovered to too low humidity or planted in poorly drained soil, its well being will endure considerably. To make sure optimum development and well being for each vegetation, they need to be avoided drafts and followers and planted in a soil medium with loads of perlite or vermiculite for drainage.
flowers
The parlor palm (Chamaedorea elegans) produces small yellow and orange flowers which might be clustered on the finish of the stems. The bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifrizii) has an analogous flower however is barely bigger than the flower of parlor palms. The flowers of bamboo palms are typically a brighter shade of yellow or orange, whereas these of parlor palms can have extra muted colours. Each vegetation produce flowers throughout their blooming season, often in late spring or early summer time when temperatures start to rise.
Toxicity

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Parlor palms and bamboo palms aren’t thought-about toxic if ingested. Nevertheless, some folks could expertise abdomen upset or pores and skin irritation from their sap. As such, it’s best to maintain them away from youngsters and pets who is perhaps tempted to chunk or eat the leaves of those vegetation. Moreover, the sap may cause pores and skin irritation in people, so gloves ought to be worn when dealing with these vegetation. Applicable precautions must also be taken when disposing of useless leaves as they could comprise mud which might irritate the eyes or nasal passages.
USDA space
The USDA Hardiness Zone system is a vital issue to contemplate when planting any kind of plant or tree. It designates areas the place vegetation can survive and thrive primarily based on the typical annual minimal temperature of sure areas. Parlor palms and bamboos choose hotter climates with temperatures between 10a (30F) and 12b (45F). Due to this fact, they’re appropriate for rising in all of those areas so long as they obtain sufficient water and daylight.
Moreover, each vegetation can profit from sitting outdoor throughout the scorching summer time months if they’re shaded from direct afternoon daylight. You should definitely slowly acclimate your palm to the outside situations, as they are often very totally different from the indoor surroundings. Place them on a shady porch or below a tree for 2 or three hours on the primary day, slowly rising their time outdoor every day. If a chilly spell is forecast, convey them indoors, as not one of the vegetation tolerate frost. Keep in mind that watering wants enhance when the plant receives a number of outside mild, so preserve a detailed eye on humidity ranges.