Mature size & growth rate

How big does Fishtail Parlour Palm (Chamaedorea ernesti-augusti) get?

Also called Fishtail Parlour Palm, Ernest August's Palm, Xate Palm, Broad-leaf Lady Palm.

More about fishtail parlour palm

About Fishtail Parlour Palm

Chamaedorea ernesti-augusti · also called Fishtail Parlour Palm, Ernest August's Palm · houseplant

A distinctive, slow-growing understorey palm from the tropical forests of Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala, notable for its unusual simple, undivided leaves (rather than feathery fronds) that are deeply notched at the tip, giving them a two-lobed fishtail shape. It is highly shade-tolerant and compact, making it well-suited to low-light indoor rooms and conservatories. Temperature must stay above 10°C at all times — sudden cold draughts cause irreversible frond damage. Chamaedorea ernesti-augusti is considered non-toxic to cats and dogs.

Mature size: Typically 60–120 cm tall and 45–75 cm wide as a container plant; rarely exceeds 1.5 m indoors.

Indoor size vs how big it gets in the wild

Fishtail Parlour Palm is a tree at heart. Indoors a pot and your ceiling keep it to typically 60–120 cm tall and 45–75 cm wide as a container plant, but in the ground it is a different scale of plant entirely (rarely exceeds 1.5 m indoors.). Indoors and in a pot, expect typically 60–120 cm tall and 45–75 cm wide as a container plant. In the ground with no restriction it is a completely different plant — rarely exceeds 1.5 m indoors. — which is why the pot, the light and the pruning matter so much for the size you actually end up with.

It gains real height on a trunk or main stem, adding a tier of leaves a year and eventually reaching for the ceiling — this is a plant you grow up, not out.

Growth rate and years to mature

Fishtail Parlour Palm is a slow grower. Realistically, expect a decade or more — slow growers like this add only a few centimetres a year, so expect 8-15+ years to reach their indoor ceiling. Its feeding profile backs this up: apply a balanced liquid fertiliser at half strength every three to four weeks during the growing season (april to september); do not feed in winter when growth pauses.

Want this turned into the right next pot at the right moment? The pot size calculator and the fishtail parlour palm repotting guide cover when and how much to size up — pot size is one of the biggest levers on how fast fishtail parlour palm grows.

How to keep fishtail parlour palm smaller

You are not stuck with the maximum size. For fishtail parlour palm specifically, these are the levers, in order of impact:

The decisive tool is the secateurs: fishtail parlour palm can be topped (cut the main growing tip) to cap its height and force a bushier, shorter shape.
Keeping it deliberately pot-bound in a snug container slows the whole plant and limits ultimate size.
Prune in spring so it heals fast; remove the tallest leader back to a node to reset the height.
Good news: slow growth means topping it once buys you years before it needs doing again.

The keep-it-smaller method, step by step

Pick the new height. Decide how tall you want fishtail parlour palm and find a leaf node or branch point just below that.
Top the main stem. Cut the main growing tip cleanly just above that node in spring; this permanently caps the height and forces side branches.
Keep the pot snug. Avoid jumping to a much bigger pot — a slightly restricted rootball keeps the whole plant smaller.
Maintain the shape. Prune back the tallest new leaders each spring to hold it at the height you chose.

How to grow fishtail parlour palm bigger or faster

If you want it to fill the space sooner, push the conditions rather than hoping — for fishtail parlour palm the accelerators are:

The biggest lever is light — a tree-type plant in dim light barely gains height; move it brighter.
Pot up a size every year or two while young; restricted roots are the main thing holding height back.
Feed regularly through the growing season and keep it warm — height comes from sustained good conditions.

Light is almost always the ceiling. The fishtail parlour palm light requirements page covers exactly how bright a spot it needs to grow at its potential instead of stalling.

When fishtail parlour palm outgrows the room (or the pot)

"Too big" usually arrives as one of these signs for fishtail parlour palm:

The top leaves pressing against or bent by the ceiling — the classic "this is now too tall indoors" sign.
It has to be moved away from a light source it has literally outgrown.
Roots filling the largest pot you can reasonably keep indoors — at that point it is top-or-prune or move it outside (if hardy).

If it is the pot rather than the room, it is a repotting job, not a goodbye — see the fishtail parlour palm repotting guide. If you want more of this plant instead of a bigger one, the fishtail parlour palm propagation guide turns prunings into new plants.

Fishtail Parlour Palm size — frequently asked questions

How big does fishtail parlour palm get?

Fishtail Parlour Palm reaches typically 60–120 cm tall and 45–75 cm wide as a container plant when grown indoors, and far larger where it grows unrestricted (rarely exceeds 1.5 m indoors.). It gains real height on a trunk or main stem, adding a tier of leaves a year and eventually reaching for the ceiling — this is a plant you grow up, not out.

Is fishtail parlour palm slow or fast growing?

Fishtail Parlour Palm is a slow grower. Expect a decade or more — slow growers like this add only a few centimetres a year, so expect 8-15+ years to reach their indoor ceiling. Fishtail Parlour Palm is a tree at heart. Indoors a pot and your ceiling keep it to typically 60–120 cm tall and 45–75 cm wide as a container plant, but in the ground it is a different scale of plant entirely (rarely exceeds 1.5 m indoors.).

How long does fishtail parlour palm take to reach full size?

Roughly a decade or more — slow growers like this add only a few centimetres a year, so expect 8-15+ years to reach their indoor ceiling. Light, pot size and feeding move that timeline more than anything else.

How do I keep fishtail parlour palm smaller?

The decisive tool is the secateurs: fishtail parlour palm can be topped (cut the main growing tip) to cap its height and force a bushier, shorter shape. Keeping it deliberately pot-bound in a snug container slows the whole plant and limits ultimate size. Prune in spring so it heals fast; remove the tallest leader back to a node to reset the height. Good news: slow growth means topping it once buys you years before it needs doing again.

How can I make fishtail parlour palm grow bigger or faster?

The biggest lever is light — a tree-type plant in dim light barely gains height; move it brighter. Pot up a size every year or two while young; restricted roots are the main thing holding height back. Feed regularly through the growing season and keep it warm — height comes from sustained good conditions.