plant id, looks like a palm.....

17 years ago

I just recently purchased a plant from walmart and guess what.........thats right!!!! No name is given for it in the planter. Now since id rather not go around considering this plant a Foliage Officinalis i thought maybe someone here could help.

The plant looks to me to be a palm of some sort. It does bear some resemblance to a parlor palm and that is why i say it looks like a palm to me however i heard somewhere that a parlor palm is not really a palm at all, but i think you get the point.....anyway, this plant is in about a 6" pot and there are many separate stems coming up out of the dirt. these stems diverge into long petioles ( are they called petioles on palms? ) which are about 8-10" before ending in 2-3 flat, palmlike leaflets. the plant itself stands about 18-20" tall not including the pot.

If anyone is familiar with walmart then you may recognize the plant, its one that is currently being sold for $6 per 2 plants.

Can anyone tell me what this plant is and how to best care for it? Also, how big is it going to get and how fast?

Any help much appreciated.

Thanks

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Comments (15)

trace00969
17 years ago
Sounds like maybe a chinese palm fan.....I just got one from Walmart a few weeks ago....mine died....lol, It had a bunch of base things that the palms emerged from and each leaf of palm went up a foot or two and then branched into a fan, other than this I cant help you, just maybe its the same tye as mine as I had to search what mine was too.

Tracy

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:83976}}
micke
17 years ago
It sounds like a chinese palm, only thing though, as far as my wal-marts goes, they are not selling that particular type 2 for $6. I gave 8.00 for mine and it was in a bigger pot. I do believe they were selling the Parlor Palms (or maybe it was the butterfly palm) like that though, I am thinking I seen them there but my price was 7.00 for 2, so I could be wrong.
If it is a palm of any sort it should get big, but getting it there may take awhile, they seem to be slow growers, I bought two little ones in Florida last July and I can't tell that they have grown very much at all, but maybe they just don't like my house:)
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riptidefrog
Original Author
17 years ago
hmmmm. I really dont think that it is a chinese fan palm. Althought its probably in its juvenile stage the leaflets that are forming are not merged together like those in the fan palm. When there are more than 2 leaflets they are separated like you see on the parlor palm.
Im fairly sure it cannot be a parlor palm, my mother had one of those and it started small and took forever to get big. This is clearly a more robust plant. Im thinking that the leaves that are almost 2 feet tall are only the 3rd or 4th that the plant has put out.
lucy
17 years ago
Could it be a Sago palm (not actually a palm at all!) - Cycas revoluta? The 'leaves' on each 'branch' are individual needle-like things, dark medium green, and the branches grow out of a large bulb.
riptidefrog
Original Author
17 years ago
Just googled the sago palm. It's definetly not that. These leaflets are flat and wide of a medium/light green color.
naturelover_mtl
17 years ago
I was recently at Walmart and noticed that they brought in a lot of different Ferns - it was literally an explosion of Ferns. Some of the plants available for purchase had a palm-like look. Google some images. There are many, many varieties. It might not be a Fern that you have but it's worth taking a look just to make sure.
riptidefrog
Original Author
17 years ago
I doubt it is a fern. The veins are all parrallel. The ferns all seem to have branching veins. the leaflets do really resemble the parlor palm in the way they look and are arranged. Its just a bigger plant and doesnt have as many leaflets per leaf.
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
17 years ago
You're going to have to take a picture.
naturelover_mtl
17 years ago
Amen rhizo...LOL...
lucy
17 years ago
Have you looked up fishtail palm?
riptidefrog
Original Author
17 years ago
That palm looks really cool but its not it either. Thanks for the input.

If i only had a digital camera
grice
17 years ago
Hey Rip, next time you are in a garden center/home improvement center check out their plant selection and see if you don't come across your plant(with a tag of course LOL).
nanw_4wi
17 years ago
I think I saw the palms you're speaking of at a WM near here, as well.

I really believe they're Chamaedorea erumpens, aka 'Bamboo Palm'.

I purchased mine at WM in the early 90's, and it looked exactly like those being sold.

They are in a juvenile stage, so they may not resemble photos you'll find on the internet, unless you can find photos of juvenile plants.

If you do have one of these, they're very easy to care for. They tolerate low light very well, and will even grow in low light (unlike many plants that simply 'maintain' themselves in lower light).

They also tolerate a lot of neglect!

Right now, and for the past several years, mine is a few feet from a west window where it receives filtered indirect light.
birdsnblooms
17 years ago
I'm not sure if this nursery is still around, but check out www.botanical-treasures.com Toni
riptidefrog
Original Author
17 years ago
Yes i think you are right that mine is in the juvenile stage. And after looking up that pllm on google i can believe that is what it is. Of course i cant be sure until it gets bigger but at least now i have an idea as to what it is.
Thanks you so much, you've been a great help.