Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Long-leaf Parlour Palm (Chamaedorea oblongata)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Long-leaf Parlour Palm, Hardy Bamboo Palm, Oblong-leaved Parlour Palm.

More about long-leaf parlour palm

About Long-leaf Parlour Palm

Chamaedorea oblongata · also called Long-leaf Parlour Palm, Hardy Bamboo Palm · houseplant

Chamaedorea oblongata is a solitary, slender palm from the understorey of moist forests in southern Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras, valued for its unusually large, ovoid to oblong leaflets that give it a distinctive, lush appearance compared to other parlour palms. It grows slowly and tolerates low light, making it well suited to interiors, but it requires good drainage as it is sensitive to overwatering. Unlike many tropical palms it displays modest cool tolerance and can be grown outdoors in sheltered frost-free gardens. According to the ASPCA, Chamaedorea palms are non-toxic to cats and dogs.

Cold limit: USDA 10a–12 (indoor in most climates) · RHS H1b (16–27°C (min 10°C))

What long-leaf parlour palm's hardiness rating actually means

Long-leaf Parlour Palm is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Its RHS rating of H1b means: Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season. On the US scale that maps to USDA 10a–12 (indoor in most climates) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 10 °C (sustained cold below this is damaging). Long-leaf Parlour Palm has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for long-leaf parlour palm as it gets too cold:

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches.
A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover.
Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.

Can long-leaf parlour palm go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually.
Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C.
It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when long-leaf parlour palm can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

Long-leaf Parlour Palm hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is long-leaf parlour palm cold hardy?

Long-leaf Parlour Palm is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Indoor-only in almost every home. Long-leaf Parlour Palm can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10a–12 (indoor in most climates)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature long-leaf parlour palm can survive?

What hardiness zone is long-leaf parlour palm?

Long-leaf Parlour Palm is rated USDA 10a–12 (indoor in most climates) and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can long-leaf parlour palm survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually. Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C. It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

What happens to long-leaf parlour palm below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches. A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover. Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.