Bamboo palm vs Calla lily
Chamaedorea seifrizii · Zantedeschia aethiopica
Pet safety: Bamboo palm is listed non-toxic to cats and dogs; Calla lily is toxic (insoluble calcium oxalates). If the two are sold under the same name, a mislabelled plant is a genuine risk in a house with animals.
Why these two get mixed up
Calla lily is recorded here as a pet-safe alternative to Bamboo palm, so the question is usually whether the swap is actually a fair one.
| Bamboo palm | Calla lily | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Chamaedorea seifrizii | Zantedeschia aethiopica |
| Family | Arecaceae | Araceae |
| Light floor | Low | Medium |
| Water | 7–12 days | 4–8 days |
| Humidity floor | 40% | 45% |
| Mature height | 36–84 in | 18–36 in |
| Habit | clumping | clumping |
| Growth rate | slow | moderate |
| Difficulty | Easy | Moderate |
| Toxic to pets | No | Yes |
| Typical price | $30–100 | $12–40 |
Highlighted cells are where the two actually differ. Everything else they share.
The differences that matter
Pet safety
This is the difference that matters most. Bamboo palm is listed non-toxic to cats and dogs; Calla lily is toxic (insoluble calcium oxalates). If the two are sold under the same name, a mislabelled plant is a genuine risk in a house with animals.
Mature size
Bamboo palm reaches about 84 inches; Calla lily tops out near 36. Buying the wrong one for a shelf means rehoming it in a year.
Light
Bamboo palm tolerates low light; Calla lily needs medium as a floor. Put the second in the first's spot and it stretches and declines.
Not even related
Bamboo palm is Arecaceae, Calla lily is Araceae. They share a shop label and nothing else — different families, different continents, different care.
Which should you buy?
- With a cat or dog in the house, take Bamboo palm. The other is toxic, and if the shop label is wrong you will not know which you have brought home.
- In a dim room, take Bamboo palm.
- If you forget to water, take Bamboo palm, which goes 9 days between drinks.
- If it is your first plant, take Bamboo palm, at 2 of 5.
- For a small shelf, take Calla lily, which stops around 36 inches.
Full entries
Bamboo palm — care fields with sources, toxicity with every authority consulted, propagation and diagnosis. Calla lily — the same.
Sources
- This database's own care records for Chamaedorea seifrizii and Zantedeschia aethiopica — every figure compared above.
- Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Plants of the World Online — accepted names and families for Chamaedorea seifrizii and Zantedeschia aethiopica
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control — toxicity classification for both, cited on each species entry
- Photographs: Wikimedia Commons, individually credited and licensed above
Compiled and edited by Tony Valcarcel · 2026-09-12
Every comparison above is drawn from a recorded field. Where the honest
distinguisher is visual we show both photographs rather than describing a leaf
we have no field for. How this is sourced.