Houseplant · Arecaceae
Fishtail Palm
Caryota mitis
A bold indoor palm with leaflets shaped like a fish's tail, easy to please as long as you respect its prickly fruit.
Bright indirect
Every 7–14 days
55–84°F · 13–29°C
USDA 9–11
Overview
The fishtail palm earns its name from its leaflets, each one ragged at the tip like the tail of a fish, set on twice-divided fronds that give the plant a soft, full look. It grows as a clumping, multi-stemmed palm, sending up new shoots from the base so the plant fills out into a leafy column rather than a single bare trunk. Indoors it usually settles between 6 and 10 feet (1.8 to 3 m) tall, which makes it a real statement in a bright corner.
What throws most people is the way a whole stem can yellow and collapse for no obvious reason. That is simply how the palm works. Each stem flowers once, sets fruit, and then dies, while the suckers around it keep the clump alive. Knowing this turns an alarming sight into a routine bit of pruning.
The one real catch is the fruit. The small reddish-black berries are loaded with needle-like calcium oxalate crystals that burn and itch on bare skin, so this is not a palm to handle carelessly when it fruits.
Care
The short version: bright indirect light, water once the top half of the soil dries, keep it warm, and feed monthly through the growing season. Wear gloves any time you handle the fruit.
Light
Give it bright, indirect light near a window where the sun is filtered rather than direct. It will cope with medium light and even some shade, but it grows fuller and faster in a bright spot.
Water
Water well during active growth, then wait until the top half of the soil has dried before watering again, which usually falls every 7 to 14 days. Ease off in winter and water sparingly. The plant likes soil that stays evenly moist but never waterlogged, so good drainage matters.
Soil
Use a rich, loam-based potting mix that drains freely. The palm is easygoing about texture and handles clay, loam, or sand, and it accepts a wide pH range from 6.0 to 8.0.
Temperature
Keep it in the warm band of 55°F to 84°F (13°C to 29°C). It has no tolerance for cold drafts or frost, so hold it well away from chilly windows in winter.
Humidity
Ordinary room humidity works, but the palm is happier with a bit more moisture in the air. Dry indoor air is what invites spider mites, so misting or a humidity tray pays off in winter.
Feeding
Feed monthly through spring and summer with a balanced palm fertilizer while the plant is actively growing. Stop feeding in the cooler months when growth slows.
Pruning
Pruning is light work here. Trim away dead or damaged fronds, and when a stem finishes flowering and dies, cut it out at the base to open room for the suckers coming up behind it.
Repotting
Move the palm into a larger pot every 2 to 3 years, or sooner if it crowds the container. Roots circling the pot or pushing out the drainage holes, soil that dries out fast, and stalled growth all say it is time.
Size & spacing
Indoors the palm reaches 6 to 10 feet (1.8 to 3 m) tall with a spread of 3 to 5 feet (90 to 150 cm), so give the clump real floor space and room for the fronds to arch out.
Troubleshooting
Two things account for most fishtail palm worries: a stem dying off after it flowers, and pests moving in when the air turns dry. The first is normal and the second is fixable. Match what you see below before you reach for any treatment.
Fine webbing and yellow speckling across the leaflets
Warm, dry indoor air invites spider mites, which are one of the worst pests on fishtail palms grown inside. Check the undersides of the leaflets for tiny moving dots and webbing, then rinse or wipe the foliage to knock them loose. Raise the humidity and treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil if they hang on.
Fix:
- Rinse or wipe foliage to dislodge mites
- Raise humidity around the plant
- Treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil as needed
A whole trunk yellows and dies after it flowers
This is monocarpic flowering, not a disease. Each stem blooms once from the top down, sets its reddish-black berries, and then dies on schedule. Cut the spent trunk out at the base and let the basal suckers carry the clump forward.
Fix:
- Cut the spent stem out at the base once it has fully died
- Allow the surviving suckers to take over the clump
Toxicity
The leaves are generally safe to handle, but the fruit and sap are the hazard here. They carry sharp calcium oxalate crystals that sting the skin, mouth, and throat of people and pets alike. No part of this palm is safe to eat, so keep the ripe berries away from children and animals and wear gloves whenever you clean them off.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Toxic
A cat that bites the fruit or sap gets an immediate burning mouth, heavy drooling, and pawing at the face. Swelling of the lips and tongue can follow, and the cat will usually go off its food.
Dogs Toxic
The needle-like crystals sting on contact, so a dog that chews the berries shows sudden drooling, mouth pain, and retching. Some dogs also vomit or refuse to eat for a while afterward.
Horses Caution
Horses rarely meet this palm, but the oxalate-laden fruit would burn the mouth and lips the same way, leaving a horse drooling and reluctant to graze. Keep fallen fruit out of reach.
Rabbits Toxic
The raphides are no kinder to a rabbit's delicate mouth. A nibble brings stinging pain, drooling, and a refusal to eat, so never offer any part of this plant.
Livestock Caution
Grazing animals that mouth the fruit get the same painful sting and swelling, which usually puts them off after one taste. Fence the plant away from where stock browse.
Birds Caution
The irritant crystals make the fruit a poor and risky snack, and a bird that pecks at broken berries can irritate its beak and mouth. Treat it as off-limits rather than a treat.
People Caution
No part of the fishtail palm is safe to eat, and even handling crushed fruit can leave skin burning and itching for hours. Wear gloves when you clean the berries off seeds, and keep the fruit away from children.
Wear gloves when handling the ripe fruit / cleaning seeds, as the calcium oxalate causes painful skin irritation and itching.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Fishtail palm is grown as the straight species, so there is really just one plant to know.
Caryota mitis (species)
This is the clumping, multi-stemmed fishtail palm whose ragged, twice-divided leaflets look just like a fish's tail, and it keeps renewing itself from suckers at the base.
How to propagate
There are two ways to make more fishtail palms, and one is far quicker than the other. Dividing the clump gets you a plant fast, while seed is a long game.
DivisionModerate
Spring to summer during active growth · Several weeks to a few months for divided suckers to root and resume growth
Because the palm grows as a clump, you can lift it in spring or summer and split off the suckers from around the base, which is by far the easiest way to make new plants. Give each division a few weeks to a few months to root and start growing again before you treat it as established.
SeedModerate
When ripe fruit is available; sow fresh seed · Germination can take several weeks to months, then years to reach size
You can sow fresh seed once ripe fruit is on hand, but wear gloves while you clean the pulp away, since the calcium oxalate crystals in the fruit burn and itch on contact. Seed is the slower route: germination runs several weeks to months, and the seedlings then need years to reach any size.
Myths
A yellowing, collapsing trunk means the whole fishtail palm is dying or diseased.
Each stem is built to flower once, fruit, and then die, while the clump carries on through fresh suckers at the base. This is normal monocarpic behavior, not a problem. Just cut the spent trunk out and let the new growth take over.
Like the parlor and areca palms, the fishtail palm is harmless to touch.
Its fruit is packed with needle-like calcium oxalate crystals that sting the skin and set off itching the moment you handle a broken berry. Wear gloves around the ripe fruit, because this palm is not in the same safe company as those other houseplant palms.