Lady Palm belongs to the Family Arecaceae and is a native shrub with clustered stems. Its leaves are deeply palmate, with narrow leaf lobes spreading out like umbrella ribs, making it popular for landscaping and pot gardening.  The straight and tough stems of Lady Palm can be processed into walking sticks, umbrella handles, and handicrafts. Its roots and leaf sheath fibers can be used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Lady Palm serves as a larval food plant for the butterfly Indian Palm Bob, which the female butterflies lay their eggs on the leaves, and the caterpillars spin silk at the leaf tips to create protective leaf shelters.