This is a small palm -no idea what kind - in an office where I tend the gardens. Many of its branches had turned brown, and one of the employees pruned it. When I took a picture of it to post here, I also noticed on of the "trunks" was soft and rotted. The rest seem OK.
Should we prune off that last brown stem and leaf ? What kind of care would rejuvenate it ?
Proper terminology would be helpful too :)
Thanks for your help.
Here is a close-up of the base.
Those are two Majesty Palms (Ravenea rivularis) which hate being indoors. You can cut off the dead portion, but eventually the entire plant may be dead. These need a LOT more light than they are probably getting, and may be getting spider mites, too. Be sure the potting mix is not soaking wet, but this species does like to be watered frequently (at least when it is getting sufficient light). When they finally die, you might want to replace them with Kentia palms (similar look, but do great indoors, and stay a nice, dark healthy green color).
Thank you, palmbob. Doesn't sound too encouraging, does it :) I will tell my boss and he can decide what to do with it.
Toss it in the trash. Buy a kentia palm. Water it as follows: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2G1rYox1Sw Problem solved.
