Lady Palm

Botanical Name: Rhapis excelsa

Lady Palm is a dramatic, tall house plant that is easy to grow.

A member of the palm family, this graceful plant grows in a clump of woody, upright stems that look like bamboo.

Fronds grow in a fan pattern, each consisting of 5-10 deeply veined leaflets that are up to 12 inches (30 cm) long and 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide.

Repot only every 3-4 years, when it outgrows its container. This plant grows best when slightly root-bound, so keep it in a smallish container. Keeping it confined to a small container will also dramatically limit its size.

This is a slow-growing palm and with good care, it should last for many years.

Origin: Southeast China

Height: Up to 10 ft (3 m) outdoors. It stays smaller when grown in a container. In fact, it can be grown as a bonsai plant, reaching only 12 in (30 cm) high.

Light: Bright, indirect light. Too much sun will cause the leaves to turn yellow-green.

Water: Keep soil evenly moist in spring and summer. In winter, allow the top 2 inches to dry out between waterings. Like other palms, it is sensitive to fluoride and other chemicals in tap water, causing leaf tips to turn brown. Trim off the brown tips to keep a neat appearance.

Humidity: High humidity.

Temperature: Average room temperatures 60-75°F, 16-24°C

Soil: Peat moss based potting mix.

Fertilizer: Feed monthly in summer with a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted by half, or a light sprinkling of time-released house plant fertilizer.

Propagation: Seeds or division