Photo: Black Diamond Images / CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Kentia palm

Howea forsteriana

The graceful, slow floor palm for living rooms and majlis. It copes with low light, dust and drier air and is listed as safe for cats and dogs, but it costs more and grows slowly, so buy the height you want.

Mature size1–2.5 m tall, 0.6–1.5 m spreadGrowthSlowSunPart shadeWaterModerate

Drought: 3 of 5

Shade: 4 of 5

Ease of care: 4 of 5

Use in a design Get it looked after

Indoors in Dubai

Kentia palm indoors

Light it grows well in

Low (suits it)
Medium (suits it)
Bright (suits it)
Sun (does not suit it)

Needs little light indoors (NC State) and does best in bright light with protection from strong sun (RHS). Keep it back from hot afternoon glass at west or south windows.

Dry, air-conditioned air

4 of 5

1 means it needs humidity help, 5 means it does not mind.

Under air conditioning: The RHS calls it tolerant of cooler temperatures and drier air. Keep it out of direct airflow, wipe the fronds, and never let the root ball dry out.

Cats and dogs

Pet-safe

Listed by the ASPCA as non-toxic to dogs and cats (Kentia Palm, Howea forsteriana, also called Forster sentry palm), and NC State lists it as non-toxic for cats, dogs and horses. Any plant can upset a pet's stomach if eaten in quantity, so watch a chewer.

Size: Floor-standingStands on its own on the floor
Rooms: Majlis Living room Hallway Home office Bedroom
In Dubai shops: Specialist shopsSpecialist plant shops
Outdoors: Indoors only

All indoor plants for Dubai More plants for low light

Season

Through the Dubai year

How Kentia palm behaves through Dubai's seasons, month by month.

JJan

FFeb

MMar

AApr

MMay

JJun

JJul

AAug

SSep

OOct

NNov

DDec

Avg high °C

24°

26°

29°

34°

38°

40°

42°

40°

36°

31°

27°

Buy and pot up

Feb – Apr

A few new fronds

Apr – Sep

Monthly feed

Mar – Sep

Check for mites and scale

Apr – Oct

Water sparingly

Buy and pot up: Feb–Apr, Oct–Nov
Move tall palms in the cooler months, not through summer heat.
A few new fronds: Apr–Sep
Slow, in every season.
Monthly feed: Mar–Sep
Regular feeding guards against potassium shortage.
Check for mites and scale: Apr–Oct
Look under the fronds. Warm, dry rooms suit spider mites.
Water sparingly: Dec–Feb
Do not let the root ball dry out completely.

A kentia looks the same in every month, so its calendar is about pace and checks. From March to September, warmer rooms and longer days push the few new fronds a year, and that is when monthly feeding earns its keep and when a weekly look under the fronds for spider mites and scale is worthwhile. From December to February growth is almost still: water sparingly, but never let the root ball dry out completely. The months to buy and pot up a tall, heavy palm are October to November and February to April, when it is not being carried through 45°C heat.

Meet the plant

Meet the Kentia palm

Meet the kentia palm, the palm that has furnished formal rooms for generations. NC State notes that it was hugely popular in Victorian times, and it keeps that place because it survives what an indoor room throws at it: low light, dust, central heating, drought and rough handling. The RHS calls it tolerant of cooler temperatures and drier air, and lists it among the good palms for a house.

The shape is the appeal. A single slim stem carries a crown of long, arching fronds with leaflets that hang in a soft, layered curve, so the plant reads as calm rather than busy. It is slow, so a tall one is expensive, but it gives a room the look of a mature tree. In a villa majlis or a double-height living room, a pair of kentias either side of a sofa or doorway frames the space.

In Dubai, the room matters more than the sun. NC State says it needs little light indoors, and the RHS prefers bright light with protection from sun. A spot beside a window with no direct afternoon sun, or a lit corner a little back from the glass, suits it. What it dislikes is a root ball that dries out and a direct draught from the AC.

Kentia palm (Howea forsteriana), also called Forster sentry palm, is a single-stemmed evergreen palm from Lord Howe Island. The RHS gives 2 m for a plant in a container, and a mature plant in the ground can reach 8 to 12 m after 20 to 50 years. NC State says it is slow growing and grows more quickly when planted on its own rather than in a group, so a single plant in its own pot makes the best use of the space.

Light is flexible. NC State lists dappled sunlight or partial shade, and says it requires little light indoors, and the RHS says bright light with protection from the sun, ideally north- or east-facing. In Dubai that means a bright room without hot afternoon sun at west or south glass, though a dim corner is fine. Unlike a ponytail or ZZ plant, it does not like to dry out: NC State asks for a well-drained but humus-rich mix that never dries out completely.

Water moderately in growth and sparingly in winter, feed monthly through the warm months, and wipe the fronds to remove dust. NC State says the most serious problem is potassium deficiency, which causes leaf browning, so regular feeding matters. Watch for mealybugs, scale, thrips and red spider mites, which the RHS and NC State list, and see Parlour palm and Lady palm for smaller palms that suit the same dim rooms.

Design

Where to use it

Symmetrical pair for a majlisFloor palm for a living roomEntrance or hallway featureLow-light statement plant

Use kentia where a room needs a calm, tall green shape: a pair either side of a sofa or doorway in a majlis, a single palm in a living room corner beside a floor lamp, or a plant at the end of a hallway. It gets its look from space, so give it room to arch and keep it clear of furniture. Put it where daylight reaches it but the afternoon sun does not, out of the direct airflow from a ceiling unit, and in a heavy, stable pot so a tall plant does not tip.

Lady palm

Lady palm's dense fan leaves contrast with kentia's arching fronds in a majlis, and both are listed by the ASPCA as non-toxic and happy in low light.

Moth orchid

A moth orchid on a console beneath a kentia adds flowers to the green, and it is also listed by the ASPCA as non-toxic.

Cast iron plant

Cast iron plant fills the dim floor space under a kentia's fronds, and it is also pet-safe and tolerant of deep shade.

Care guide

How to grow it in Dubai

Watering: Summer: Water moderately when the soil is dry about 5 cm down, and let the pot drain. Do not let the root ball dry out completely, as NC State asks for a mix that never dries out.
Winter: Water sparingly from December to February, as growth almost stops, but never let it dry out completely.
Establishment: For the first month, leave it where you put it, water by the finger test and keep it out of the vent's airflow while it settles.
Soil: A well-drained, humus-rich mix: houseplant compost with extra perlite. The RHS suggests peat-free, loam-based compost with composted bark and leaf mould added.
Feeding: Feed monthly from March to September with a balanced liquid fertiliser; regular feeding matters because NC State names potassium deficiency as its most serious problem. Flush the pot every four to six months with at least twice its volume of plain water.
Pruning: No pruning is needed (RHS). Cut off only fronds that are fully brown, at the base, and leave a narrow brown margin when trimming brown tips.
Planting: Repot only when the roots fill the pot, in spring, into a slightly larger pot. Grown alone it grows faster than in a group, according to NC State. Buy and pot up in October to November or February to April.
Pests: MealybugsScale insectsThripsSpider mites

Avoid these

Common mistakes

Letting the root ball dry out between waterings. Unlike a ponytail palm, a kentia needs a mix that does not dry out completely, so water when it is dry about 5 cm down, not weeks later.
Never feeding it. NC State says potassium deficiency is its most serious problem, so feed monthly through the warm months.
Putting it at a hot west window. The RHS says it needs protection from the sun, and the fronds scorch.
Placing it in the direct airflow from an AC unit. Dry air browns the frond tips, so move it out of the draught.
Cutting the top or trimming into green. No pruning is needed (RHS), so remove only fully brown fronds.

Extra notes

Good to know

The ASPCA lists kentia palm (Howea forsteriana) as non-toxic to dogs and cats, under the name kentia palm, with Forster sentry palm as another name. NC State lists it as non-toxic for cats, dogs and horses.
NC State says it survives low light, dust, central heating, rough handling and drought, and was hugely popular in Victorian times.
A kentia grows more quickly when planted individually, according to NC State, so one plant in a pot beats three crowded together.
Dubai prices checked on 7 October 2026: from AED 175 at Adplants and from AED 349 for 100 to 180 cm at Plantsworld. Heights and pots differ, so compare size, not only price.

Toxicity: Listed by the ASPCA as non-toxic to dogs and cats (Kentia Palm, Howea forsteriana, also called Forster sentry palm), and NC State lists it as non-toxic for cats, dogs and horses. Any plant can upset a pet's stomach if eaten in quantity, so watch a chewer.

Pros

Survives low light, dust and rough handling (NC State)
Listed by the ASPCA as non-toxic to cats and dogs
Tolerates cooler temperatures and drier air (RHS)
Tall, arching form suits a majlis or double-height room
No pruning needed

Cons

Slow: a tall plant is the priciest way to buy height
Root ball must not dry out completely
Potassium shortage browns the leaves if it is never fed
Needs protection from hot afternoon sun at west glass

FAQ

Common questions

Does a kentia palm grow in low light in Dubai?

Yes. NC State says it requires little light indoors, and the RHS lists it among the palms that tolerate low light. It does best in a room with daylight but no hot afternoon sun, and in a dim corner it grows more slowly.

Is kentia palm safe for cats and dogs?

Yes. The ASPCA lists kentia palm as non-toxic to dogs and cats. Chewing any plant can still cause mild stomach upset.

How big does a kentia palm get, and how fast?

It is slow growing. The RHS gives about 2 m for a container plant, and a mature plant in the ground can reach 8 to 12 m over 20 to 50 years. Buy the height you want, since a small plant takes years to grow.

Why are the leaves on my kentia palm turning brown?

The RHS links brown palm tips to underwatering or a dry atmosphere. NC State names potassium deficiency as the most serious problem, which browns the leaves. Check the soil about 5 cm down, feed monthly in the warm months, and move it out of the AC airflow.

How much does a kentia palm cost in Dubai?

Checked on 7 October 2026, prices started at AED 175 at Adplants and AED 349 for 100 to 180 cm at Plantsworld. Prices change, and a taller plant costs more because it takes years to grow.

Kentia, parlour palm or areca palm: which is best for a dim room?

The RHS says chamaedorea (parlour palm), howea (kentia) and rhapis (lady palm) tolerate low light, while areca palm needs good light levels. Parlour palm suits a desk or shelf, kentia suits the floor, and areca palm suits a brighter spot.

Not sure how it suits your garden?

Ask about Kentia palm on WhatsApp