A beautiful, tightly clustering, smallish palm, originally known only from a few enthusiasts collections before being rediscovered in 1989 in montane rainforest in Veracruz, Mexico between 1000 and 1500 m. It was named in honor of master palm grower Louis Hooper of California. With age, it can form a large group of slender, green stems that can reach 4 to 5 m (13 to 17 ft.) tall, each topped by a spreading crown of up to 7 flat, leathery, dark green leaves. It is a vigorous and very robust species that is easy to germinate and grow and more resistant than other clustering Chamaedorea to low humidity, mites and even light freezes due to its thick, leathery leaves. Tolerating low light and neglect it is also a prime choice for indoors but it will perform best outdoors under some canopy in the warm temperate garden.
