Rhapis gracilis Seeds | Slender Lady Palm
LATIN NAME: Rhapis gracilis
COMMON NAME: Slender Lady Palm
Plant Profile
Slender Lady Palm (Rhapis gracilis) is a palm in the palm family. Lady palm pleats wide, deep-green fronds from cane-like stems, dense clump standing in fine, upright look of shaded room or courtyard corner. It is a plant of shaded, deep, rich, moist, well-drained ground. It is the sort of plant that quietly justifies the space it occupies.
Science & Biotechnology
Rhapis gracilis sits in the palm family, a group that keeps botanists, horticulturists and plant breeders busy with questions of classification, adaptation and ornamental potential. Gardeners benefit directly from its long cultivation: what the plant will do in a garden is well understood.
Uses & Benefits
Gardeners value Slender Lady Palm for its ornamental character, and the plant also fits naturally into herb, vegetable and cutting gardens. Lady palm is a fine, useful plant of shaded room and study collection. It is a fine, useful plant of shaded, deep, rich, moist, well-drained garden. Lady palm seeds like a peaty, leafy soil kept warm and shaded. Once settled, it thrives on neglect more than on fussing.
Lady palm is a champion air-purifying houseplant of NASA fame and an elegant shade palm.
Growing from Seed
Sow fresh seed of Slender Lady Palm under ordinary good conditions. Sow the seed evenly over the surface and cover lightly, using a loose, well-drained seed compost, and keep it just moist in bright light until the seedlings are well up. Prick the seedlings out once they are large enough to handle, grow them on in bright light, and plant out when conditions allow.
Our Take
Few garden plants carry such a documented history of use as this one does. Given the right start, Slender Lady Palm is a long-term garden companion. Start with fresh seed, keep it evenly moist, and the plant does the rest itself.
Related Reading
Gardeners who grow Slender Lady Palm often pair it with these related subjects: