Indoor Palms: Types with Names and Care Tips

[ГОЛОВНЕ ФОТО (прев’ю): велика кімнатна пальма ховея в кашпо у світлій вітальні]

An indoor palm is the easiest way to give a room a tropical feel. But shops call many plants palms, including yucca, dracaena and ponytail palm. Here are the popular true indoor palms by name, which are the easiest, how to stop brown leaf tips and which mistakes to avoid.

More on this topic: houseplants: names and care, dracaena, foliage houseplants.

True palms and look-alikes

True palms (the Arecaceae family) have a single growing point at the top and fan-shaped or feather-like leaves. Cut off the top and the palm will not branch; it dies.

Not palms, though often called so: yucca and dracaena (asparagus family), ponytail palm (Beaucarnea), and sago palm (Cycas), an ancient gymnosperm related to conifers.

[фото: справжня пальма поруч із юкою й драценою — для порівняння]

Indoor palm species

Parlour palm (Chamaedorea elegans): the most compact and shade-tolerant; fine in a north-facing room.

Kentia palm (Howea forsteriana): elegant, slow-growing, very tolerant of dry indoor air; a classic for offices and halls.

Areca palm (Dypsis lutescens): clumps of several stems with feathery fronds; likes light and humidity.

Pygmy date palm (Phoenix roebelenii): a dwarf date with spines at the leaf base; palms grown from store-bought date stones get much bigger.

Lady palm (Rhapis excelsa): fan leaves on thin, bamboo-like canes; tolerates cool rooms.

Windmill palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) and Livistona are fan palms for bright rooms; the windmill palm is the hardiest and can summer on a balcony.

[фото: хамедорея, ховея, арека, фінік Робелена й рапіс поруч]

Indoor palm care

Light: bright and indirect. Midday sun scorches the leaves; parlour and kentia palms cope with partial shade.

Water thoroughly when the top 2–3 cm is dry and let it drain from the saucer. Water less in winter, but never let the root ball dry out completely.

Humidity matters most: dry radiator air is the number one cause of brown tips. Mist, use a humidifier or a wet pebble tray.

Temperature: 18–25 °C, 15–18 °C in winter for most species. Draughts and cold floors harm the roots.

Repotting: palms hate root disturbance. Pot on young plants every 2–3 years and only top-dress large ones. How to do it: how to repot a houseplant.

Pruning: remove only fully dead fronds at the base. Trim brown tips but leave a thin strip of dry tissue so you don't cut into living leaf.

[фото: кімнатна пальма біля вікна з розсіяним світлом]

Which palm to choose

Dark room or office: parlour palm or kentia.

Bright living room: areca or Livistona.

Cool room or glazed balcony: lady palm or windmill palm.

With cats at home choose parlour, areca or kentia palms, which are considered pet-safe, unlike the highly toxic sago palm. For a large plant that copes with dry air, consider a rubber plant.

[фото: хамедорея в горщику в кімнаті з вікном на північ]

Why palm tips turn brown

• Brown tips: dry air, too little water or hard, salty water.
• Lower leaves yellow and darken while the soil stays wet: overwatering and root rot.
• Pale specks and fine webbing under the leaves mean spider mites; brown bumps mean scale. See why houseplants get sick.
• Do palms clean the air? Areca and lady palms appeared in NASA studies, but in a flat the effect is modest; see do houseplants purify the air.

A living plant as a gift

Looking for a living gift that lasts for months? A potted orchid is a great choice for home or office.

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See houseplants and orchids.

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FAQ

Which indoor palm is the easiest?

The parlour palm: compact, shade-tolerant and fine with drier air.

Why do palm leaf tips turn brown?

Usually dry heated air or irregular watering.

Can I cut the top off a palm?

No. A palm has one growing point and dies without it.

How often should I repot a palm?

Pot on young palms every 2–3 years; just top-dress big ones.

View full-size photo

Author: Maria Svitlovir

Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.