Chamaedorea metallica

miniature fishtail palm

Makes a great houseplant and a striking specimen in the yard. Miniature fishtail palm is a special type of palm in that it can grow in full shade, which not many palms can do; it is an understory plant in forests in its native southern Mexico. Combined with its size and frond color/sheen, this is a unique and beautiful palm. The palm will tend to have its one-of-a-kind (at least when it comes to palms) metallic-blue-gray sheen when grown in darker conditions but will become increasingly green with more light.

I think the common name is very apropos for this plant, with the “fishtail” reference being especially creative in my opinion. While the name certainly doesn’t have any practical utility, it makes it pretty easy to remember and pick out the plant, even if you don’t know anything about it. It also fits well here in the Florida Keys, as our fishing and seafood are such a big part of life down here; it’s nice to have terrestrial analogues to this in the Gardens.