Best indoor palm tree? Adonidia merrillii VS Archontophoenix cunninghamiana

[Peachs]

Which one better resists a dry environment and sometimes with little light?
 

Thanks!

[sonoranfans]

ptychosperma elegans would be the one to grow.  Indoor light no problem, dry is fine if you water enough and rise out the pot periodically.  I had a triple indoors in arizona it grew to 6' + in a 20 gallon pot, and looked nice in a "no direct sun" area.  I tried lots of others with less success.  Many palms need that sun.  I did not have archontophoenix cunninghamiana but A. alexandre and A. purpurea hated indoors.

[DoomsDave]

Try Ptychosperma elegans, or various Chamadoreas, inlcuding radicalis, tepijelote, seifritzii, etc.

All take the shaded and the dry well.

[PalmatierMeg]

Same question as before: where are you? None of your candidates will tolerate a cold, dark, dry northern house unless you have a well-lit, humid, warm conservatory. Try Rhapis excelsa, Howea forsteriana or Chamaedoreas.

[Peachs]

Ptychosperma elegans is very interesting.  Thanks 

[Peachs]

1 minute ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Same question as before: where are you? None of your candidates will tolerate a cold, dark, dry northern house unless you have a well-lit, humid, warm conservatory. Try Rhapis excelsa, Howea forsteriana or Chamaedoreas.

Good light in the house and at least 20 ° C always. No direct sunlight.

[PalmatierMeg]

Given a choice of just those two, go with the Archo although it grows fairly fast and gets large. Adonidias are truly tropical and want sun, high humidity (75%+) and high heat (30C+ days and 22C+ nights). In a sunless, chilly, dry house an Adonidia will languish, then die. I expect even the Archo will find living indoors a miserable existence unless you have a conservatory to house it.

 

[Peachs]

2 hours ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Given a choice of just those two, go with the Archo although it grows fairly fast and gets large. Adonidias are truly tropical and want sun, high humidity (75%+) and high heat (30C+ days and 22C+ nights). In a sunless, chilly, dry house an Adonidia will languish, then die. I expect even the Archo will find living indoors a miserable existence unless you have a conservatory to house it.

 

And better than Archo, do you think Ptychosperma elegans?

[Oviedo_z10b_lol]

15 hours ago, Peachs said:

And better than Archo, do you think Ptychosperma elegans?

Yes. P. Elegans will work inside. That’s the palm used in plantings inside airports and malls throughout the south. As such, they tolerate shade and climate controlled dry conditions. Plus, IMO, they look great. 

[Peachs]

2 hours ago, Oviedo_z10b_lol said:

Yes. P. Elegans will work inside. That’s the palm used in plantings inside airports and malls throughout the south. As such, they tolerate shade and climate controlled dry conditions. Plus, IMO, they look great. 

Well, no more talk, if it is the most appropriate and different (I do not want a Kentia)

[PalmatierMeg]

18 hours ago, Peachs said:

And better than Archo, do you think Ptychosperma elegans?

P. elegans is perhaps marginally better indoors than an Archo. It stays smaller, grows slower and is not as thirsty for water.

[Peachs]

14 minutes ago, PalmatierMeg said:

P. elegans is perhaps marginally better indoors than an Archo. It stays smaller, grows slower and is not as thirsty for water.

Thank you very much!

[Peachs]

4 hours ago, Oviedo_z10b_lol said:

Yes. P. Elegans will work inside. That’s the palm used in plantings inside airports and malls throughout the south. As such, they tolerate shade and climate controlled dry conditions. Plus, IMO, they look great. 

 

1 hour ago, PalmatierMeg said:

P. elegans is perhaps marginally better indoors than an Archo. It stays smaller, grows slower and is not as thirsty for water.

What do you think of Gaussia Maya?  What other species do well under these conditions?  I want to try various species in different places around the house.

[GottmitAlex]

You can also try a cat palm (Chamaedorea cataractarum) or an "Areca" palm (Dypsis lutescens). 

The former wants a lot of water. The latter, once a week.

[Peachs]

4 hours ago, GottmitAlex said:

You can also try a cat palm (Chamaedorea cataractarum) or an "Areca" palm (Dypsis lutescens). 

The former wants a lot of water. The latter, once a week.

Thanks for your contribution.  I can't find the first in Spain and the second is very common, I look for different things.  A safe bet is Kentia.

[D. Morrowii]

I think there are several Adonidia merrillii at Orlando Airport indoors? The ceiling is glass but Im not sure how much direct sun they get from it. The trunks are a darker tan color and the leaves are more grey/blue/green than normal, I suppose due to the lack of sun.. The environment is well air conditioned though so pretty dry in there. Unless I’m mistaken on the species. They also have a lot of Raphis excelsa some travelers palms and a long petiole palmate palm that Im not familiar with. 

[Peachs]

2 hours ago, D. Morrowii said:

I think there are several Adonidia merrillii at Orlando Airport indoors? The ceiling is glass but Im not sure how much direct sun they get from it. The trunks are a darker tan color and the leaves are more grey/blue/green than normal, I suppose due to the lack of sun.. The environment is well air conditioned though so pretty dry in there. Unless I’m mistaken on the species. They also have a lot of Raphis excelsa some travelers palms and a long petiole palmate palm that Im not familiar with. 

Adonidia?

[D. Morrowii]

Here are the actual palms that are in there. I’m not too confident in my ID skills…

Edited August 14, 2021 by D. Morrowii

[Peachs]

1 hour ago, D. Morrowii said:

Here are the actual palms that are in there. I’m not too confident in my ID skills…

I have no experience, are they all the same species?

[D. Morrowii]

The ones in the background in pic 2 look like Phoenix roebelenii and I don’t think those are there anymore. The other tall ones are all the same

[Matt in OC]

I wouldn’t try to grow Archo indoors but I’ve been surprised how adaptable Adonidia are indoors for me. I’ve grown several from seedlings without a greenhouse. I have an over potted double in my office that is pretty carefree and slowly moving along. I’ll get a picture. 

[Matt in OC]

Here are some I spotted at a fancy Newport Coast restaurant. 

[Peachs]

11 hours ago, Matt in OC said:

I wouldn’t try to grow Archo indoors but I’ve been surprised how adaptable Adonidia are indoors for me. I’ve grown several from seedlings without a greenhouse. I have an over potted double in my office that is pretty carefree and slowly moving along. I’ll get a picture. 

With what % ambient humidity?

[Matt in OC]

@PeachsNo idea since it’s my work office but I can’t imagine it’d be much. 

[Peachs]

3 hours ago, Matt in OC said:

@PeachsNo idea since it’s my work office but I can’t imagine it’d be much. 

In my area indoors in summer, about 30%.  In winter about 50% humidity.  It may be little.

[Frond-friend42]

On 8/14/2021 at 11:53 AM, Peachs said:

I have no experience, are they all the same species?

I think the tall ones are not adonidias. I am curious. I did some searching. To my eye they look like veitchia subdisticha.

[Frond-friend42]

Or maybe they are adonidias. If so, then I like adonidias small or tall. This mid-range size I don't like so much. But the tall ones look cool.

[Matt in OC]

Here are mine. 

[redant]

These do great inside

Chamaedorea oblongata - Pacsoa

[Antti]

Howea fosteriana absolutely perfect in all meanings IMHO