- Lady Palm (Rhapis excelsa)
Rhapis excelsa, the Lady Palm, is grown in the garden and used indoors in homes and offices around the world. Rhapis adapts to a wide range of climates.
Rhapis excelsa grows up to 4 m in height and 30 mm in diameter in multi-stemmed clumps with glossy, palmate leaves divided into broad, ribbed segments.
Leaf segments are single or few in young plants and increase to a dozen or more in mature plants; segments are divided to the petiole.
Leaf-ends are saw-toothed unlike most other palms, occurring on slender petioles ranging from 20 to 60 cm in length. New foliage emerges from a fibrous sheath which remains attached to the base.
As the plants age, the sheaths fall, revealing the bamboo-like trunks. This usually dioecious palm species produces a small inflorescence at the top of the plant with spirally-arranged, fleshy flowers containing three petals fused at the base.
They were first collected by the Japanese for Tokugawa shogunate palaces, then popularity spread to Europe, and later to America where its low light and humidity requirements make it a common feature in malls and offices.