Bamboo Palm
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.
Also called Parlor Palm, Reed Palm and Seifriz's chamaedorea.
Toxicity is partly unassessed
- Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
What the sources say about its care
Sources file this plant under other names: Chamaedorea erumpens. Citations below point at the name its source uses.
- Light
- Medium light 100 fcClemson Extension, filed as Chamaedorea erumpens* · read 13 September 2026Partial shadeRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H1C — 5–10°C 5–10 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand; pH Acid or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.RHS · read 13 September 2026
Routine care
- Watering
- In the growing season, water generously and feed monthly with a balanced liquid fertiliser. Give little water in winter.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- Through the growing season, water generously and give a balanced liquid fertiliser each month.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- By division or seed.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Sow seed at 25°C or warmer.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Pruning is not needed.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by fern scale, root mealybugs, banded greenhouse thrips and greenhouse thrips.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Thrips, scale insects and glasshouse red spider mite can be troublesome. Disease is uncommon.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
Chamaedorea seifrizii, commonly known as bamboo palm, parlor palm, or reed palm, is a species of plant in the family Arecaceae. It is a subtropical palm that grows up to 20 feet tall, and is commonly used as a houseplant. The evergreen leaves are pinnately divided, and yellow flowers are borne on a panicle. The fruit are small, round, and black.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- SE. Mexico to HondurasWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Southeast MexicoNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026SE Mexico to HondurasRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- wet tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- Perennial, Shrub; habit clumping, erect, spreadingNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Bushy (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 36–90 in; width 36–72 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 1.5-2.5 metres; spread 1-1.5 metres after 10–20 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers gold/yellowNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers yellow in summerRHS · read 13 September 2026
Other Chamaedorea
More of the Arecaceae family
Areca palmA thin dry rim that crumbles between the fingers
Chusan palmBleached patches on the side facing the glass
Kentia palmDry, curled edges on fronds near a heater
Lady palmA thin dry rim that crumbles between the fingers
Pygmy date palmA thin dry rim that crumbles between the fingers
Canary Date PalmSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
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Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Clemson Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.