Plants in your house

False Palms


The False Palms are an extremely important group of house plants. At the young stage the stem is short and completely clothed by the leaf bases. With age the stem elongates and it is usual for the lower leaves to be lost. In this way the characteristically palm like appearance is created. Some popular types of False Palm are:

Screw Pine

Pandanus veitchii is wide spreading and reaches a height of about 4ft. The serrsted leaf edges are sharp and grow in variety compacta to keep the foliage out of harm's way.
Spineless Yucca:

              

The 3-5 ft woody trunk bears a crown of long, leathery leaves.You can choose Y.elephantipes as they are safer than Y. aloiflia (Spanish Bayonet) with sowrd-like leaves.
Pony Tail:
Pony Tail is also called Elephant foot. It is a shaggy-looking False Palm which is a talking point. It grows slowly, but with time the trunk will grow to 6 ft or more and the base will be swollen like a huge bulb.

Song of India:
Slow-growing and colorful, this False Palm is compact enough for a small room. The only Pleomele you are likely to find is Song of India-the slender stem will require staking once the lower leaves have fallen.

Cordylines:
Cordyline terminalis (often sold as Dracaena terminalis) is the only popular and has many common names as "Good luck Plant", Ti Plant, Red Dracaena, polynesian Ti and so on. The leaves are usually tinged or splashed with red and there are many varieties of this compact 1-2 ft False Palms.

Dieffenbachias:

           

A well-grow Dieffenbachia is a spectacular plant, its thick stem growing 5 ft high with foot-long intricately-patterned leaves borne along its length. Its common name (Dumb Cane) is derived from the unpleasant effect of its poisonous sap on the mouth and throat. One of the largest species is Dieffenbachia amoena with leaves up to 18 inches long. The dark green leaves are striped with white bars and the effect is most striking in the variety Tropic Snow. The most popular species is D.picta, sometimes sold as D.maculata. The leaves are about 10 inches long, and they range from nearly all-green to practically all-cream.