Tequila 13:54, 24 June 2007 (UTC) · CC BY-SA 3.0
About
Also known as the neanthe bella palm or parlour palm, *Chamaedorea elegans* is one of the world's most popular houseplant palms, noted for its ability to bloom early in its life cycle. It is a woody, rhizomatous palm that thrives in tropical environments and is often used in indoor landscaping.
Field notes
Morphology
It is a woody, rhizomatous plant with a slender green trunk and generally pinnate foliage. The crown carries 3-10 long-leaf pinnate leaves, and the species produces small, light yellow, yellow, or orange-red odorous flowers that appear in clusters of small balls without petals. After flowering, pea-sized berries, 6mm in diameter, develop and are dark, collected in paniculate inflorescences.
Distribution & habitat
Native to the rainforests of Southern Mexico (including states like Chiapas, Campeche, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Puebla, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Tabasco, Veracruz, and Yucatan) and Guatemala (found in Huehuetenango, Alta Verapaz, and Petén Department).
Cultivation notes
It tolerates low levels of humidity and light but prefers medium to high humidity and bright indirect light. It is intolerant of frost and must be kept indoors in non-tropical climates, ideally where the temperature does not exceed 12–14 °C in winter. Propagation is done only by sowing.
Habitat
- Altitude
- —
- Altitude Class
- —
- Native To
- Mexico
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- easy
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