This plant, on one stem, has produced striped leaves, making it a R.e. ' kotobuki ' yet all the other stems are still producing all green leaves. It is still considered a 'fukuju' until the pup or stem that is striped is removed and planted up by itself. The difficulty in identifying them, and also touching on the difference between pot culture and outside plantings. Leaf in general is oval-shaped with the outside end more pointed than the inside.
Leaves are dark green when grown in shade to a light green when grown with more sunlight.
There is over 100 Rhapis excelsa cultivars and each has somewhat different leaf characteristics, and that all adds to the confusion, of the proper identification of these palms. Never plant a Rhapis in too large a pot for its roots, they do somewhat better when roots are slightly crowded. Never let plant completely dry out or be left soggy with wet feet, as root rot will soon kill your Lady palm. In the 1980s Texas saw two big freezes, one in '83 and again in '89, temperatures went down into the teens and in one year temperatures remained below freezing for 72 hours. Most all the Rhapis were killed to the ground but many regrew form their roots and quickly reestablished themselves with vengeance.