The lady palm, ground rattan, or bamboo palm from China and Japan is a graceful, slow-growing tree that looks spectacular as an individual specimen. The leafstalk is equal in length to the blade, which is dark green and divided up to 10 times to within an inch or two of the midrib (rachis), giving it a fanlike appearance. The leaves are borne on reed- like stems, clothed with coarse, brown fibers.
As the lower leaves age and fall off, they take some of the fiber with them, leaving scars on the now- smooth stem. R.e. ‘Variegata’ has palmate leaves with leathery, white- striped segments and the leaf segments of R.e. ‘Zuikonishiki’ are edged with yellow.
Size: Height 5 ft. (1.5 m).
Light: Indirect sunlight or cool light.
Direct: sunlight in winter.
Temperature: Normal room temperature or cooler; minimum 45°F (7°C).
Moisture: Keep moist from spring to fall, drier in winter.
Feeding: Give standard liquid fertilizer once a month in spring and summer.
Propagation: Remove basal suckers in spring or summer.
Special needs: Avoid overwatering and never allow the pot to stand in water or the roots will rot.