Parlour palm
Chamaedorea elegans
Also called Neanthe bella palm and Parlor palm
Houseplant · Ferns & palmsThe Victorian drawing-room palm, and still the one that copes with a dim corner.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Medium
- Water
- Every 8 daysDrench and drain — water the whole surface until it runs from the holes.
- Light
- Low to medium indirect
- Feed
- Every 60 days
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Indoors, or out in high summer RHS H1B, to 10°C
- Size
- 1.2 m tall · 0.6 m across
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Origin
- Southern Mexico
Is it safe for pets and people?
PetsSafe for pets
PeopleNot checked yet
Nobody has checked this one against a source for us yet, so treat it as unknown rather than safe.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-07-31.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- The whole plant takes on a dull grey cast, and fine webbing strings between the leaflet tips — hold it against a window to see it.Glasshouse red spider mite · pest
- Every leaflet on the oldest frond dries to a matching brown point while the frond stays green behind — feed build-up, not dry air.Tip burn from salts · disorder