Christmas Palm
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.
Also called Dwarf Royal Palm, Manila Palm and Merrill palm.
Toxicity is partly unassessed
What the sources say about its care
- Light
- Partial shadeRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Moist but well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H1A — warmer than 15°C 15 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- Non-toxicASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Non-toxicASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.RHS · read 13 September 2026
Routine care
- Watering
- Water regularly, letting roughly the top inch of soil dry between waterings. It dislikes waterlogged conditions.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- In poor, low-nutrient soil, use a fertilizer made for palms.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Mist often for humidity; in spring and summer, use a houseplant feed.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- SeedNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Raise from seed only, soaked before planting. Sowing seed indoors has more guidance.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Pruning is not needed; remove dead or dying leaves when required.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by fern scale, root mealybugs, greenhouse thrips and banded greenhouse thrips.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Usually free of pests, though mealybugs, aphids and glasshouse red spider mite can occur. Diseases: usually none.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
Adonidia merrillii, the Manila palm, is a palm tree species endemic to the Philippines. This palm was cultivated for centuries in the Philippines before becoming a staple in the West. It is reportedly naturalized in the West Indies and Florida. It is commonly known as the "Christmas palm" because its fruits become bright scarlet and tend to be that color in winter. This palm is typically fairly small and slender, normally attaining 25 feet or 8 meters in height but has attained over 40 feet in some instances. Most plants maintain 5-7 fronds when young, gradually building up the crown as the palm ages, and sometimes reaches 10-12 fronds when mature.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- Borneo (Sabah) to Philippines (Palawan, Danjugan)World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026PhillippinesNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Borneo to PhilippinesRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- wet tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- Perennial, Tree; habit arching, erectNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Columnar upright (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 36–300 in; width 72–96 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 2.5-4 metres; spread 1-1.5 metres after No preferenceRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers cream/tan, white; blooms in summerNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
More of the Arecaceae family
Areca palmA thin dry rim that crumbles between the fingers
Chusan palmBleached patches on the side facing the glass
Kentia palmDry, curled edges on fronds near a heater
Lady palmA thin dry rim that crumbles between the fingers
Parlour palmCrisp margins that appear in winter
Pygmy date palmA thin dry rim that crumbles between the fingers
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Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.