1	"Leaves cut part way into two, not feather-shaped"	2
1	"Leaves feather-shaped"	3
2	"Leaves with a bluish metallic sheen"	"Chamaedorea metallica"
2	"Leaf blades without a bluish sheen, conspicuously nerved, thick, with 12–18 primary nerves on each side"	"Chamaedorea ernesti-augustii"
3	"Clustering palms"	4
3	"Solitary palms"	9
4	"Stems short, creeping, branching dichotomous"	"Chamaedorea cataractarum"
4	"Stems without above characteristics"	5
5	"Leaf sheaths with short ligules less than 3 cm long at the tip"	"Chamaedorea costaricana"
5	"Leaf sheaths without ligules at the tip"	6
6	"Leaflets with several prominent primary nerves that are ridged on top"	"Chamaedorea tepejilote"
6	"Leaflets with a dominant midrib, other nerves hardly prominent and not ridged"	7
7	"Leaflets 20 or more on each side, narrowly linear and grey-green"	"Chamaedorea graminifolia"
7	"Leaflets to 16 on each side of the leaf"	8
8	"Leaflets straight"	"Chamaedorea siefrizii"
8	"Leaflets curving in a slight S-shape"	"Chamaedorea microspadix"
9	"Plants appearing stemless, leaflets dark green and rough, without a dominant midrib"	"Chamaedorea radicalis"
9	"Plants with elongated stems"	10
10	"Leaflets clustered in groups"	11
10	"Leaflets not in clusters"	12
11	"Leaflets linear, grey-green"	"Chamaedorea glaucifolia"
11	"Leaflets lanceolate, grey-green"	"Chamaedorea klotzchiana"
12	"Leaf sheaths tubular only near the base, not thickened; leaflets thin and with a dominant midrib"	"Chamaedorea elegans"
12	"Leaf sheaths tubular along their length; leaflets thick, slightly S-shaped and with a dominant midrib, the other nerves inconspicuous"	"Chamaedorea oblongata"