What Is a Parlor Palm Tree?

Why is It Called a Parlor Palm?

During Victorian era England, advancements were being quickly made. People were learning more about the world, including the tropics, and they learned about palm trees.

The parlor palm earned its name during the Victorian era when it became a fashionable plant for decorating home parlors. Because it tolerates lower indoor light better than most tropical plants, it thrived inside homes long before electric lighting was common.

The Victorian houseplant craze was sparked by an important invention for the times. In 1833, a British amateur naturalist, Dr. Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward, designed a sealed glass-sided container (later called the Wardian case) that kept plants alive by controlling temperature and humidity.

Plants could now be shipped alive around the world. Inspiring enthusiasm for growing exotic plants indoors.

Wardian cases became fashionable fixtures In drawing rooms across Western Europe and the U.S. Starting with ferns, orchids, and ultimately as a potted parlor palm indoor plant. By the late 1890s, that era ended when parlors filled with vines, orchids, and potted palms came to be seen as old-fashioned.

Yet that common name has stuck ever since.

Parlor Palm Tree Quick Facts

• Common Names: Usually It's a Parlor Palm. But also called Neantha bella, Good-luck palm, Collinia and Bella. 

1. In Guatamala: pacaya, pacayito, xate, kiik
2. In Mexico: tepejilote, palma camedor, pesmilla, palmilla de hojas, angostas, palmita camedor, palma fina, tutchast

• Mature Height: Indoors it might eventually get about 6ft/1.8m.
• Growth Rate: It's naturally a slow-grower, indoors even more slowly.
• Light Preference: No full sun. Instead choose a spot aside a window with filtered light.

Parlor Palm Indoor Plant Benefits

How to Identify a Parlor Palm for Sale in a Store

For Purchasing a Parlor Palm Use Key Identification Traits of Chamaedorea elegans:

• Slender cane-like solitary stem. Multiple trunks are often grouped together in one container, for a dense appearance. But they don't cluster out from one main trunk.
• Pinnate fronds with narrow leaflets along a central stem (rachis).
• Orange inflorescence (flower stem) grows upright, branching with tiny flowers producing small black fruit.

Look-Alike Chamaedorea Palm Differences Compared to Parlor Palms:

• C.erumpens - the Bamboo Palm. It does cluster - sprouting more stems. Fewer, wider leaflets. Grows more quickly.
• C.microspadix - the Hardy Bamboo Palm. It only grows 4-6 fronds sprouting nearly down to the solid green base. Drooping inflorescence (flower stem) has cream-colored flowers. It's freeze tolerant.
• C.radicalis - Has solitary & trunkless (on or under the ground) forms. Flowers are yellow orange, with orange fruit.
• C.seifrizii - the Reed Palm. It clusters densely, with longer petioles (leaflet stems).
• C.tepejilote - the Pacaya Palm. Usually solitary, but sometimes clustering. Grows more quickly, only 5-7 fronds. Short green crownshaft.
• C.humilis - the Mediterranean Fan Palm. Palmate fronds. Clustering (sometimes solitary) trunks covered with dense fibers. Orange/reddish-brown fruit.

Techniques for Proper Parlor Palm Care

It's quite hardy, and Parlor Palm indoor plant care is pretty easy! Making it a popular houseplant.

Yet it's a matter of it's native areas. Imitate its rainforest origins and it's able to stay healthy and attractive indoors for many years.

Before care, let's understand structure.

• They may look like they're clustering, but they're not.
• They're solitary feather palms.

When treated like any indoor plant, it can slowly decline.

Parlor Palm Light Requirements

The parlor palm is a very reliable low-light palm.

They do well in moderate to low-light conditions. Like the light it received in its rainforest conditions.

The ideal range is 25-50 foot candles.

• That's like a typical school classroom, giving enough light for reading and writing. 
• Or think of walking the aisles of your local grocery store, also about that range.

In winter light strength is lower. You could place your parlor palm just to the side of a curtained window. Yet in summer that placement needs adjusting. You'll want to protect the fronds from getting scorched - like sunburn.

Placement Tips:

• North or east-facing windows are ideal. A few feet back from a west window with filtering drapes may also work.
• Best Light: Bright, but indirect
• Tolerates: Moderately low indoor light
• Avoid: Direct afternoon sun

If growth is stagnant for years, it likely needs a bit more light.

Proper Watering for a Parlor Palm

Overwatering is the #1 reason Parlor Palms falter indoors. Here's the Best Plan for Watering your parlor palm.

YOUR CHECK: Every 7-10 days test the soil.

• Stick your finger in the dirt to evaluate it. 
• Water when the top inch of soil feels dry.

HOW OFTEN TO WATER:

• Avoid watering on a schedule alone. 
• Check the soil instead. 
• Avoid Overwatering, to prevent root rot.

PROPER WATERING TECHNIQUE:

• Water your parlor palm deeply, letting water drain from container openings.
• Observe the container drainage. Does a good amount drain into the saucer? It should.
• Empty the saucer.

Parlor palms prefer even moisture, but not soggy soil.

Humidity Preferences for Your Parlor Palm

How Do You Fertilize a Parlor Palm?

Indoor parlor palms are relatively light feeders. As slow growers their Fertilizer Nutrition requirements are low.

FERTILIZING SCHEDULE

• Spring through Autumn
• Every 6 months, April & October works.
• With Liquid Fertilizer, follow container directions for quantity to apply every 3 months. But no more than once a month.

FERTILIZER TYPE

"Ornamental Palm Horticulture" (Broschat, Meerow, Elliott), our go-to for palm management, recommends 3N-1P-2K. But they do say Controlled-Release Fertilizer is preferred - liquid is acceptable but less efficient.

Yet don't use too much - more is not better. Where C.elegans outdoors would need about 1 cup of fertilizer, indoors use much less. 1/2 teaspoon or 2 grams top-dressed in the soil twice a year.

Too much fertilizer causes salt buildup that leads to root burn stress. When in doubt, use less fertilizer.

Repotting Considerations

Parlor palms prefer slightly snug roots. They dislike heavy root disturbance, so repotting isn't necessary very often.

REPOT ONLY:

• When roots circle heavily
• Every 2–3 years at most
• Disturb roots as little as possible. These palms dislike excessive handling.

SOIL REPOTTING:

Use a Well-Draining Potting Mix with Perlite & Coconut Coir. Choose A Larger Container with drainage holes.

Pruning a Parlor Palm Indoor Plant: Why Not to Cut

Since their growth is slow, every green frond matters.

Perhaps this palm understands that, as it naturally sheds old worn out fronds. So Trimming the Fronds is not necessary.

Never:

• Trim green fronds for shape
• Cut stems hoping for branching, as palms do not branch after pruning

Common Parlor Palm Problems

Are Parlor Palms Toxic to Pets?

Parlor palms are normally non-toxic to both cats and dogs.

That's why Chamaedorea elegans is a popular palm species to grow indoors in homes with pets. Even so, chewing on fronds or fruit can cause stomach irritation in some animals.

• The fruit & fronds are an irritant with oxalate crystals in the pulp. As long as your pet doesn't eat the fruit it's fully safe.
• But if your pet likes to chomp on plants, see the One Thing You Should Know.

Parlor Palm's Growth: Rate and Size

A parlor palm indoor plant naturally grows slowly. Its size is manageable for years.

How Fast Does a Parlor Palm Grow?

The Chamaedorea elegans, especially potted indoors is a natural slow-grower. Yearly growth anywhere from 2-6in/5-15cm. Depending on its placement, and its care. But it has its natural limit for growth.

In its Native Habitats it gets high humidity, and only light filtered through taller trees. 

Some stems may be slightly "faster," while other stems might grow at less than a snail's pace! Either way, it can take years to reach full size.

That normal, slow growth rate, along with multiple trunks in a pot, helps them look compact. Another reason they're well suited to indoor container growing.

Why Does a Parlor Palm Grow Slowly?

Its slow growth has developed over eons.

• It's an adaptation that began with its origins in rainforests. It evolved to survive life in a forest's understory where light is limited.
• Evolving in rainforests is a secondary reason related to the first. Since sunlight is needed for its own food production (photosynthesis), its needs for growth are more slowly gotten.

How Big Does a Parlor Palm Grow?

Indoors, a parlor palm typically grows 4–6ft/1.2-1.8m tall and about 3-4ft feet wide.

Because it grows slowly, most indoor plants gain no more than a few inches of height each year. And that's true of Chamaedorea elegans. 

You want to consider their final height for evaluating their placement. That is, if you don't mind moving it around!

Parlor Palm Indoor or Outdoor
A Comparison Chart

Category	Indoors	Outdoors
Growth Rate	Very slow	Slightly faster
Mature Height	4–6 ft (1.2–1.8 m)	Up to 8 ft (2.4 m)
Climate Conditions	Increase humidity	Warm climates
Light Needs	Filtered sun at a north or east-facing window	Bright indirect shade (e.g., under taller plants or a pergola)

REFERENCES
Keogh L. (2017, May 17) The Wardian Case: How a Simple Box Moved the Plant Kingdom. arboretum.harvard.edu/arnoldia-stories/the-wardian-case-how-a-simple-box-moved-the-plant-kingdom/
Gardening (2025, May 28) Chamaedorea Elegans Care and Growth - A Master-Guide for Effortless Indoor Jungle Style. Al Ardh Al-Khadra. aaaksc.com/growing-chamaedorea-elegans/
The Uhrin Brothers (2025, June 17). Chamaedorea elegans (Parlor Palm): A comprehensive Growing Guide for Enthusiasts & Collectors. viriar.com/blogs/palms-tree-encyklopedia/chamaedorea-elegans-parlor-palm

Frequently Asked Questions
for Parlor Palm Indoor Plant

Final Perspective: Why Parlor Palms Fail

It’s not because they're “difficult.” Parlor palm indoor plants are one of the easiest palms to grow and maintain, according to University Extension Services>

They fail because:

• They are treated like generic tropical foliage.
• They are overwatered in low light.
• They are over-fertilized in winter.

Understand their understory palm nature in their native home. Then they'll become dependable, long-lived indoor palms.

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