This multi-stemmed palm species, also called Bamboo or Butterfly Palm, is endangered in its native land of Madagascar, but it is commonly grown in tropical landscapes and as a houseplant. Its leaves are pinnate, ostrich feather-like, arching & upward curving, and about 3 to 6 feet long. The small yellow flowers are not showy and are borne in summer in panicled clusters to about 2 feet long. The small fruit turns yellow-orange until it matures as black. Stems of old plants are ringed with bamboo-like scars where leaves were once attached. As a houseplant it best in bright, indirect light or curtain-filtered light. It likes warm temperatures above 65 degrees F. Keep soil moist at all times, even wet but not in standing water. One can feed plants about once a month from spring until autumn.

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