Plant Library
Types of indoor palms — 10 varieties from areca to parlor
The 10 best types of indoor palms identified — areca, parlor, kentia, majesty, cat, lady, bamboo, ponytail (not a palm) and more — with ASPCA pet safety.
Types of indoor palms — 10 varieties from areca to parlor
True palms (family Arecaceae) are tropical and subtropical evergreen trees with a single growing point at the crown — cut the top off a palm and the whole plant dies. Roughly a dozen species are grown as indoor specimens in US homes, and a couple of plants commonly sold as palms are actually nothing of the kind. This guide walks through the 10 most common types of palms you will encounter at US garden centers and big-box stores, with the visual cues that separate them, the care signal for each, and the critical pet safety facts — including the two species sold as palms that are not palms at all.
Match a palm to your light: Photograph your spot in Growli and we measure the light level — then recommend three palms ranked by fit for the exact corner.
What counts as a true palm (and what does not)
The family Arecaceae has roughly 2,500 species worldwide. Two plants regularly sold as "palms" in US garden centers are botanically nothing of the kind:
- Ponytail palm (Beaucarnea recurvata) is a member of the asparagus family (Asparagaceae) — a swollen-trunked succulent that looks palm-like but lacks the woody stem and crown structure of a true palm.
- Sago palm (Cycas revoluta) is a cycad, not a palm. Cycads are gymnosperms — an ancient seed-bearing plant family roughly 200 million years old that predates flowering plants entirely. They look palm-like because of leaf arrangement only.
The distinction matters because of pet safety: sago palm is one of the most toxic plants ever sold as a houseplant, while the true palms listed below are mostly non-toxic.
We grouped the 10 types by leaf shape and growth habit, which is the same lens nurseries use:
- Feather-leaved clumping palms — areca, parlor, kentia, majesty, cat, bamboo. Multiple thin canes, feather-shaped fronds.
- Fan-leaved palms — lady palm. Wide hand-shaped fronds on a single crown.
- Specialty / not-a-palm — fishtail (true palm but unusual), ponytail (not a palm), sago (not a palm).
Feather-leaved clumping palms
1. Areca palm — Dypsis lutescens
The bushy yellow-stemmed palm. Multiple thin canes with feathery yellow-green fronds. Native to Madagascar. Reaches 6–7 feet indoors in 5 years. The most common large indoor palm sold at big-box retailers ($30–80 for a 6-inch nursery pot).
Care signal: Bright indirect light, keep evenly moist, high humidity (50–60%).
Pet safety: ASPCA lists Areca Palm (Dypsis lutescens) as Non-Toxic to Dogs, Non-Toxic to Cats, Non-Toxic to Horses.
Cross-link: /plant-care/areca-palm.
2. Parlor palm — Chamaedorea elegans
The Victorian classic. Slow-growing single-stemmed palm with delicate feathery fronds, maxing out around 3–4 feet indoors over a decade. Tolerates lower light than any other true palm — the reason it became the go-to indoor palm in dim Victorian parlors.
Care signal: Low to medium indirect light, water when top 2 cm of soil are dry.
Pet safety: ASPCA lists Parlor Palm (Chamaedorea elegans) as Non-Toxic to Dogs, Non-Toxic to Cats.
Cross-link: /plant-care/parlor-palm.
3. Kentia palm — Howea forsteriana
The most elegant indoor palm. Slow-growing single-stem palm from Lord Howe Island, Australia, with arching dark-green fronds. Tolerates lower light than most true palms and resents repotting. Mature specimens are expensive ($150–500+ for a 6-foot plant) but live for decades.
Care signal: Medium to bright indirect light, water weekly, average humidity.
Pet safety: ASPCA lists Kentia Palm (Howea forsteriana) as Non-Toxic to Dogs, Non-Toxic to Cats.
Cross-link: /plant-care/kentia-palm.
4. Majesty palm — Ravenea rivularis
The cheap big-box palm. Feathery dark-green fronds on a clumping stem; sold in 10-inch nursery pots for $25–50 at Home Depot, Lowe's, and Walmart. Demands bright light and consistently moist soil — most majesty palms die indoors within a year because typical homes are too dry and too dim.
Care signal: Bright indirect to filtered direct light, keep moist, high humidity.
Pet safety: ASPCA lists Majesty Palm (Ravenea rivularis) as Non-Toxic to Dogs, Non-Toxic to Cats, Non-Toxic to Horses.
Cross-link: /plant-care/majesty-palm.
5. Cat palm — Chamaedorea cataractarum
A clumping Chamaedorea cousin of the parlor palm. Densely-packed feathery fronds with no central stem. Native to riparian zones in Central America — wants more moisture than parlor palm.
Care signal: Medium to bright indirect light, keep evenly moist.
Pet safety: ASPCA lists Chamaedorea palms as Non-Toxic to Dogs, Non-Toxic to Cats. Cat palm is in the same genus as parlor palm and shares the safe status.
6. Bamboo palm — Chamaedorea seifrizii (also sold as C. erumpens)
Tall clumping Chamaedorea with thin bamboo-like canes and feathery fronds. Reaches 6–7 feet indoors. Often confused with areca palm but bamboo palm has fewer, larger fronds per cane and prefers slightly lower light. ASPCA's bamboo palm entry uses Chamaedorea elegans (the parlor palm name) — the genus is non-toxic across all Chamaedorea species.
Care signal: Low to bright indirect light, water when top 2 cm of soil are dry.
Pet safety: Non-Toxic to Dogs, Non-Toxic to Cats per ASPCA (all Chamaedorea).
Fan-leaved palm
7. Lady palm — Rhapis excelsa
Distinctive fan-shaped fronds with 5–9 finger-like segments on each leaf. Multi-stem clumping growth habit; bamboo-like canes wrapped in dark brown fiber. Slow-growing and long-lived — mature specimens routinely live 50+ years indoors. Tolerates lower light than most palms.
Care signal: Low to medium indirect light, water when top 2 cm of soil are dry.
Pet safety: ASPCA lists Lady Palm (listed as Rhapis flabelliformus, a synonym for Rhapis excelsa) as Non-Toxic to Dogs, Non-Toxic to Cats.
Cross-link: /plant-care/lady-palm.
Specialty true palm
8. Fishtail palm — Caryota mitis
The only common indoor palm with bipinnate fronds — leaflets are wedge-shaped like a fish's tail and the fronds branch twice. Reaches 6–12 feet indoors. Beautiful but contains needle-like calcium oxalate raphides in the sap and fruit that are irritating to skin and harmful to cats and dogs.
Care signal: Bright indirect light, keep evenly moist.
Pet safety: Fishtail palm is widely treated as toxic to cats and dogs in veterinary literature due to calcium oxalate crystals in the sap. ASPCA's database does not currently list Caryota mitis by name, but the related toxicity is well-documented. Treat as toxic and keep out of reach of pets and children.
Cross-link: /plant-care/fishtail-palm.
Not actually palms (but commonly sold as palms)
9. Ponytail palm — Beaucarnea recurvata
The bulbous-base "palm" that is actually a succulent in the asparagus family. Swollen water-storing trunk with a cascade of long curly green leaves on top. Nearly indestructible — tolerates months of neglect because the trunk stores water like a succulent.
Care signal: Bright indirect light, water every 2–3 weeks.
Pet safety: ASPCA-derived pet-safe lists confirm ponytail palm (Beaucarnea recurvata) is non-toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. The narrow leaves can cause mild mechanical irritation if a pet chews them, but no toxic principle.
Cross-link: /plant-care/ponytail-palm.
10. Sago palm — Cycas revoluta
The cycad masquerading as a palm. Stiff palm-like fronds emerge from a thick cone-shaped trunk that can reach 6 feet outdoors. Highly toxic — every part of the plant contains cycasin, with the seeds the most toxic part.
Care signal: Bright indirect to filtered direct light, water when top 2 cm dries.
Pet safety: ASPCA lists Sago Palm (Cycas revoluta, also Zamia species) as Toxic to Dogs, Toxic to Cats, Toxic to Horses. The toxic principle is cycasin and ingestion can cause vomiting, melena (bloody stool), severe liver damage, and death. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center reports a high fatality rate in dogs that ingest sago palm material, especially the seeds. Do not buy sago palm if you have pets or small children. If ingestion is suspected, call ASPCA Animal Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 immediately.
Cross-link: /plant-care/sago-palm.
How to choose the right indoor palm for your home
For a typical US apartment with a single bright window, start with a parlor palm in a 6-inch pot ($15–30). It tolerates the dim winter light of most American homes, stays under 4 feet for years, and is genuinely safe for cats and dogs. Bump up to a kentia palm ($150–500 for a mature specimen) if you want the same low-light tolerance with the size and elegance of a 6–8 foot floor plant.
For a bright corner with humidity (a bathroom with a window, a kitchen with regular cooking steam), an areca palm fills space fast and gives you the most "tropical resort" look of any indoor palm. Skip majesty palm despite its low price tag — it dies indoors within a year in most homes because the humidity drops below the 60 percent the species needs.
If you have pets, every Chamaedorea (parlor, cat, bamboo), the areca, the kentia, the majesty, the lady palm, and the ponytail palm are ASPCA-cleared. Avoid fishtail palm and especially sago palm — sago palm kills dogs every year in the United States and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center treats sago palm ingestion as an emergency.
For low-light rooms (north window, 6+ feet from any window), the choices narrow to parlor palm, kentia palm, lady palm, or bamboo palm. All four tolerate medium-to-low indirect light indefinitely; the rest of the list etiolates without bright light.
Common care across the family
Four rules cover most indoor palm care.
Light. Most true palms want bright indirect light. The Chamaedorea genus (parlor, cat, bamboo) is the lowest-light exception, and lady palm and kentia tolerate medium indirect. None of the true palms on this list want direct afternoon sun through unfiltered glass — that scorches the fronds.
Water. Even moisture is the target — never bone-dry, never soggy. Water when the top 2 cm of soil are dry, soak thoroughly until water runs from the drainage hole, and discard standing water from the saucer. Palms hate sitting in water.
Humidity. 50–60 percent is ideal. Below 30 percent (typical winter heating), frond tips brown — the trademark "ugly palm" symptom. Group palms together, use a pebble tray, or run a room humidifier.
Repotting. Palms resent root disturbance and prefer being slightly pot-bound. Repot only every 3–4 years and use a pot one size larger. Cutting roots during repotting is the fastest way to kill a palm.
Brown frond tips are the most common palm problem. They are almost always caused by low humidity or fluoride/chlorine in tap water. Use filtered water for sensitive species (kentia, lady palm) and ignore the occasional tip on the easy types (parlor, areca).
Try Growli: Snap a photo with Growli — get instant ID and a care plan in 60 seconds.
Related articles
- Types of houseplants — 30+ varieties — the broader category
- Pet-safe houseplants — 20 non-toxic plants — the ASPCA-cleared full list
- Types of ferns — 15 varieties — the other shade-loving group
- How to identify a houseplant — 4 methods — once you have a plant in front of you
- Common houseplant diseases — when something goes wrong
- Low-maintenance houseplants — 20 nearly unkillable picks — for beginners and busy people
Reviewed and updated by the Growli editorial team. For questions about anything here, open Growli and ask — or email hello@getgrowli.app.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common types of indoor palms?
The 10 most common types are areca, parlor, kentia, majesty, cat, lady, bamboo, fishtail, ponytail, and sago. Of those, the last two — ponytail and sago — are not actually palms (ponytail is a succulent in the asparagus family; sago is a cycad). Areca and parlor dominate retail; kentia is the most elegant; sago is the only one you should avoid if pets or small children are in the home.
Which indoor palms are safe for cats and dogs?
Most true palms on the list are ASPCA-non-toxic — areca, parlor, kentia, majesty, cat, lady, and bamboo all carry confirmed non-toxic status. Ponytail palm (which is not a true palm) is also non-toxic. The two exceptions are fishtail palm (calcium oxalate crystals in sap) and sago palm (highly toxic cycasin, frequently fatal in dogs). The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 treats sago palm ingestion as a severe emergency.
Is a sago palm actually a palm?
No. Sago palm (Cycas revoluta) is a cycad, not a palm. Cycads are gymnosperms — an ancient seed-bearing plant family that dates back roughly 200 million years and predates flowering plants entirely. True palms are angiosperms (flowering plants) in the family Arecaceae. Sago palm only resembles a palm in leaf arrangement. The distinction matters because sago palm is highly toxic to pets while most true palms are non-toxic.
Is a ponytail palm a real palm?
No. Ponytail palm (Beaucarnea recurvata) is a succulent in the asparagus family (Asparagaceae), not a palm. The swollen water-storing trunk and slow-growing nature give it away. The cascade of long thin leaves on top resembles a palm crown but the plant grows like a succulent — bright indirect light, deep infrequent watering. ASPCA-derived sources confirm ponytail palm is non-toxic to dogs, cats, and horses.
What is the easiest indoor palm for beginners?
Parlor palm (Chamaedorea elegans). It tolerates low to medium indirect light, survives 2–3 week dry spells, costs $15–30 for a 6-inch pot at any big-box retailer, and is ASPCA-confirmed non-toxic. The runner-up is ponytail palm (which is not a true palm) — even more drought-tolerant but it wants brighter light.
Why do my palm fronds keep turning brown?
Brown frond tips are almost always low humidity or fluoride/chlorine in tap water. Most US homes drop to 20–30 percent humidity in winter heating — well below the 50–60 percent palms want. Use a room humidifier or pebble tray. Sensitive species (kentia, lady palm, areca) also brown from chlorine in municipal tap water; switch to filtered water and the next batch of fronds will emerge cleaner. Brown whole fronds (not just tips) usually indicate the plant is naturally shedding old growth — trim and ignore.
How much do indoor palms cost?
Big-box prices in 2026 — parlor palm in a 6-inch pot runs $15–30; areca palm in a 10-inch pot $30–80; majesty palm $25–50; ponytail palm $20–60. Kentia palm is the most expensive: $150–500 for a 5–6 foot specimen because the species grows slowly and is mostly raised in the southern hemisphere. Sago palm is widely available at $20–50 but should be avoided in pet households.
Which palms tolerate low light?
Parlor palm, kentia palm, lady palm, and bamboo palm all tolerate medium-to-low indirect light. Parlor palm is the lowest-light champion — it survives 6+ feet from a window. Avoid areca, majesty, and most other palms in low-light rooms; they slowly etiolate (stretch pale fronds toward the window) and eventually die.