Parlour Palm
4.4 out of 5 (411 experiences)
Survivor
Fast grower
About Parlour Palm
Did you know the genus name Chamaedorea comes from the Ancient Greek roots meaning "gift on the ground"? These small palms max out at 20ft/6m tall so their fruits were always easy to grab. They're native to the tropical Americas and these days they're commonly found as houseplants around the world!
Taxonomy
Chamaedorea elegans
Chamaedorea
Arecaceae
Arecales
Also known as
Neanthe Bella Palm
How to care for Parlour Palm
How often to water your Parlour Palm
every 12
Parlour Palm needs 0.5 cups of water every 12 when it doesn’t get direct sunlight and is potted in a 5" pot.
Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.
Water 0.5 cups every
12
Finding light for Parlour Palm in your home
a window
Parlour Palm may have difficulty thriving, and will drop leaves 🍃, without ample sunlight.
Place it less than 3 feet from a south-facing window to maximize the potential for growth.
Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Parlour Palm in your home 🏡.
How to fertilize Parlour Palm
Most potting soils come with ample nutrients which plants use to produce new growth.
By the time your plant has depleted the nutrients in its soil it’s likely grown enough to need a larger pot anyway.
To replenish this plant's nutrients, repot your Parlour Palm after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.
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Why are my Parlour Palm’s leaves yellowing?
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What pest is this? My palm is browning and I just found out its because of some kind of pest. Could someone identify it and tell me how to help my plant(s)?
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I went on vacation and I think I left it in too bright of sunlight. It’s greening up slightly but I’m worried the soil might be hydrophobic. Should I just keep watering and doing the normal things hoping it will come back, or is it a goner? #ParlourPalm
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Re-evaluating my palm’s pot My parlour palm (Bella palm?) has been super happy in this pot since I bought it. The pot is glazed clay with drainage. I water about every 2.5-4 weeks (average is 3), let it soak and drain completely through before putting it back. I’ve given it new soil and fertilizer in lieu of 100% repotting in the past, but it looks like it may be getting cramped in this pot. Some leaves are getting yellow spots, others crispy tips, and others turning translucent. (Nervous to check the roots though because idk if I can get it back in after I take it out.) There aren’t any visible pests. It’s getting direct sun (filtered/shaded by another plant) around sunset in a west facing window and it’s been in the same spot over a year. These issues have slowly popped up this summer maybe in the last month. It still is pushing out new fronds pretty often. Since it’s the end of the growing season and my time to repot is weaning, should I bite the bullet and repot it? If so, would this white pot be a good option? (glazed clay, has drainage as well). #ParlourPalm #BellaPalm
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Brown spots #ParlourPalm Hi all my palm seems to be dying. I cut off the dead leaves. What else can I do? Should I repot it?
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Taylor, approx. 17 yrs old is looking a little dry how can I help her? #ParlourPalm
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The leaves on my plant aren’t looking too good, and I don’t know why. Can someone please tell me what to do different? #ParlourPalm
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Palm looking sad My palm doesn’t seem to be happy. The edges are drying / browning and it’s generally not as full and lush as it was. Any suggestions or ideas? I did give it some fertilizer recently, and have been watering less frequently.
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The tips are browning. What does it mean. #ParlourPalm
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The leaves on my palm keep turning brown but it’s not dry #ParlourPalm
Parlour Palm is generally easy to care for, though some plant parents report facing challenges with growing it. Check out the reviews down below to read more about their experiences!
💦 Water Needs
Parlour Palm thrives in dry soil and should be watered sparingly. Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.
☀️ Sunlight Needs
Parlour Palm may have difficulty thriving and will drop leaves 🍃 without ample sunlight. Place it less than 3 feet from a window to maximize the potential for growth. Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement in your home 🏡.
🐶 🐈 👶 Toxicity
Parlour Palm is not known to cause harm to humans or pets. Regardless, if you, a family member, a cat, or dog has ingested any plant material, please consult a doctor or a veterinarian.
Parlour Palm Toxicity to Cats →
💨 Humidity
Parlour Palm doesn’t require additional humidity. Plants absorb most water through their root system rather than their leaves, so the best way to provide humidity for your plants is through watering the soil.
🪴 Soil
Parlour Palm does best in well-draining soil. A good soil will contain lots of organic matter such as coco coir as well as perlite or vermiculite to help with drainage. Adding a handful of perlite to regular store-bought potting soil should do the trick!
💩 Fertilizer
Parlour Palm should be repotted after it doubles in size or once a year, whichever comes first. Fresh potting soil has all the nutrients your plant needs, so as long as it’s refreshed yearly, you shouldn’t need to use fertilizer. Remember, plants get their energy from sunlight, not fertilizer!
❄️ Dormancy
It’s common for Parlour Palm to go dormant in the wintertime and you may notice their growth slow down. Waterings should be spaced out more during this time.
🌎 Native Region
Parlour Palm is native to Tropical and Subtropical Americas.
🌸 Flowers
Yes, you may see your Parlour Palm bloom with the right amount of sunlight and water.
⬆️ ⬇️ Growth Pattern
Parlour Palm grows vertically and new growth will emerge from the top of the plant.
🌦️ Growing Outdoors
USDA Hardiness Zone
Parlour Palm can be grown outdoors in USDA Hardiness Zones 10a-12b. Find your local hardiness zone here.
🌱 Propagation
Parlour Palm can be propagated by division into new individual plants.
- Check to see if there is more than one plant. In some cases they may still be beneath the soil surface. If you feel confident, you may remove the soil to check for baby plantlets below!
- If there are multiple plants growing, unpot the plant and gently tug the plants apart, being careful not to disturb too many of the roots. They may be connected by large root segments which you may need to break to free the plantlet.
- Pot up the new plant in well-draining soil
- Repot the parent plant back into its original pot
🍂 Yellow Leaves
Yellow leaves aren’t always a reason to panic, and can be a normal part of a plant’s life cycle. Unless brand new leaves are turning yellow or all the leaves change color at once, it’s likely just your plant shedding old leaves.
Overwatering and root rot are the most likely cause of problems in Parlour Palm, since they are very sensitive to wet soil. The leaves may also appear to be curling or drooping. Less often, yellow leaves are caused by underwatering, nutrient deficiencies, or pests.
Replace soggy soil with fresh, dry soil and download Greg to make sure your plant never gets overwatered again!
🧐 Troubleshooting
When troubleshooting a sad-looking houseplant, start by checking for signs of distress in its leaves, such as yellowing, browning, or drooping, which can indicate overwatering or nutrient deficiencies.
Inspect the soil moisture; too dry or too wet soil can cause problems.
Ensure the plant is getting the right amount of light, as too much or too little can stress it.
Finally, consider environmental factors like temperature and humidity, and adjust care routines accordingly to revive your plant.
Care Summary for Parlour Palm
Parlour Palm
Greg recommends:
Water
0.5 cups every 12 days
Placement
< 3ft from a window
Nutrients
Repot after 2x growth
Based on the 4” pot your plant is in, and that it doesn’t get direct sunlight.
What other plant parents say
Survivor 195
Fast grower 133
Large, lush leaves 114
Browns easily 96
Easy to propagate 32
Blooms easily 17
Pest magnet 14
04/03/2022
i put this on a shelf w a water globe and leave it for like a month and it’s happy
Easy to propagate
Large, lush leaves
Fast grower
Survivor
Browns easily
01/25/2022
This is the second one I’ve had, because the first one got gnats. :( However, these guys are decently hearty
Pest magnet
Survivor
01/10/2022
These plants can grow to be massive plants and all the leaves on these look so well all together. I found that these plants can brown quite easily but with high humidity, filtered water and no direct sunlight they will love it
Large, lush leaves
Fast grower
Easy to propagate
Browns easily
01/01/2022
I find it very finicky. Must be closely watched and perfectly watered.
Browns easily
12/03/2021
make sure you keep your parlour palms humid and well-watered! they can dry out easily and perish. mine is doing fine but i have to keep a constant eye on her.
Fast grower
Browns easily
11/30/2021
My cat snacks on this guy all the time and it’s resilient! Beautiful leaves.
Large, lush leaves
Survivor
Browns easily
11/28/2021
This app states that this plant is toxic to pets and should contact poison control if ingested. This is wrong and the ASPCA lists:
Additional Common Names: Miniature Fish Tail Dwarf Palm, Good Luck Palm, Bamboo Palm
Scientific Name: Chamaedorea elegans
Family: Palmae
Toxicity: Non-Toxic to Dogs, Non-Toxic to Cats
Fast grower
Survivor
11/08/2021
Give it good sunlight
Large, lush leaves
11/05/2021
Have been struggling to keep this one happy since I acquired it. Didn’t start off well as I know I didn’t give it as much water as it needed and my cats had a field day chewing the leaves. Top leaves browned easily. Could be a case of not sitting in the right location.
Browns easily
10/29/2021
kinda tough
Survivor
Browns easily
10/28/2021
A cat friendly and beautiful plant. Does well with filtered light.
Survivor
10/20/2021
Not that interesting
Large, lush leaves
Fast grower
Survivor
10/19/2021
This plant currently lives in my bathroom, on a window sill with no direct light. It seems to cope well with my sporadic watering (when I remember too!). No issues with browning leaves as per other comments I’ve seen. Survives well in this environment when other plants really haven’t!
Survivor
10/19/2021
Adds elegance to any room.
10/19/2021
This plant just looks so elegant. Adds a beautiful ambiance to my living room.
10/09/2021
My parlour palm was one of my first ever plants!! It is very tolerant of light as I have experimented a lot with it, it grows very fast, and it is fairly sturdy. The only down side is that with any direct light, the leaves will burn. The leaves brown very easily and will also show the chlorination of the water in its leaves. They’re also very prone to pests so spraying frequently with been oil and checking the leaves is a must.
Fast grower
Large, lush leaves
Easy to propagate
Survivor
Browns easily
Pest magnet
09/29/2021
Keep out of direct sun
09/28/2021
Can be pretty sensitive, but if watched over well, the foliage is beautiful
Large, lush leaves
09/27/2021
My parlor palm is two mini plants put together had to hang them high because my cats where having a feist with the leaves but as far as that I love him
Large, lush leaves
Survivor
09/26/2021
I have had this Parlour Palm since March/ April. It’s positioned in a room with a south facing window, a meter away from the window. I repotted it since purchasing. I know Parlour Palms are hardy as I work at a place where they have not been well cared for. What I do know they do not like direct sunlight. The leaves brown when exposed to direct sunlight.
Large, lush leaves
Survivor
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