Plant care
Traveller's Palmtemperature & humidity
Ravenala madagascariensis
More about traveller's palm
Ideal temperature for traveller's palm
Aim for 16–35 °C (61–95 °F) on the thermostat and you've handled the easy part. The hard part is the half-metre around the plant: window glass that drops to near-freezing on a January night, a radiator pumping out hot dry air, a draught from an opened front door. Move the plant 30 cm and you've usually fixed the problem. Below roughly 16°C the damage starts — soft blackened patches, translucent leaves, sometimes overnight.
Cold tolerance & winter care
Traveller's Palm is frost-tender (USDA 10-11, RHS H1a). It cannot survive a frost, so in most of the US and UK it lives indoors year-round or summers outside and comes back in well before the first autumn frost — once nights drop toward 10-12°C is the cue, not the first frost warning. Acclimate it over a week when moving between indoors and out so the leaves do not shock.
Humidity for traveller's palm
Traveller's Palm sits happiest at around 50–80% relative humidity. Prefers moderate to high humidity typical of its native Madagascar; in heated glasshouses or conservatories, damping down the floor and misting the foliage helps maintain adequate moisture levels. The usual low-humidity tell is crisp brown leaf tips and edges while the soil moisture is fine — a sign the air, not the watering, is the problem. If you need to raise it, the reliable methods are grouping plants together, standing the pot on a tray of damp pebbles (the pot above the waterline, never in it), or running a small humidifier in winter when indoor heating dries the air most. Misting is the least effective — it raises humidity for minutes, not hours.
Traveller's Palm temperature & humidity — frequently asked questions
What temperature is best for traveller's palm?
Traveller's Palm grows best between 16–35 °C (61–95 °F). Keep it out of cold draughts, off freezing windowsills in winter, and away from the hot dry air directly above radiators — the extremes matter far more than the average room temperature.
How cold can traveller's palm tolerate?
Traveller's Palm starts to suffer below roughly 16°C. It is frost-tender and will be damaged or killed by a frost, so bring it indoors once nights fall toward 10-12°C.
What humidity does traveller's palm need?
Traveller's Palm prefers about 50–80% relative humidity. Prefers moderate to high humidity typical of its native Madagascar; in heated glasshouses or conservatories, damping down the floor and misting the foliage helps maintain adequate moisture levels.
How do I raise humidity for traveller's palm?
Group it with other plants, stand the pot on a tray of damp pebbles (kept above the waterline), or run a small humidifier in winter. Misting only helps for a few minutes, so it is the weakest option for a plant that genuinely needs more humidity.
Can traveller's palm live outside?
Traveller's Palm is rated for USDA zone 10-11 and RHS hardiness H1a. Outside that range it must come indoors before the first frost — treat any outdoor stint as a summer holiday, not a permanent home.
More traveller's palm care
In the UK? Keeping traveller's palm warm in a UK home covers the radiator, single-glazing and heating-season humidity angle. Temperature and humidity are one piece. See the full traveller's palm care guide, its cold-hardiness guide, and watering schedule — humidity and watering problems are easy to confuse.