Pygmy date palm
Phoenix roebelenii
Also called Miniature date palm, Dwarf date palm and Roebelenii
Houseplant · Ferns & palmsThe lowest leaflets on every frond are stiff needles, three inches long and genuinely sharp. Turn the pot rather than reaching past them, and keep it off a corridor.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Medium
- Water
- Every 10 daysDrench and drain — water the whole surface until it runs from the holes.
- Light
- Bright, with a few hours of direct sun
- Feed
- Every 45 days
- Humidity
- Average
- Hardiness
- Indoors, or out in high summer RHS H1B, to 10°C
- Size
- 1.8 m tall · 1.5 m across
- Lifecycle
- Tree
- Origin
- Laos, southern China and northern Vietnam
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.
HandlingTake care handling it
The lowest leaflets on every frond are stiff needles several inches long — turn the pot rather than reaching past them, and keep it out of a corridor.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-08-05.
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 fine leaflets go dull and speckled, and webbing shows first in the tight V where the frond joins the trunk.Spider mite · pest
- Every leaflet browns in the last centimetre at once, right across the frond — dry air or a fluoridated tap, not underwatering.Tip burn · disorder