Dwarf Palm
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.
Also called African hair palm, European fan palm, Kiko Rivera and Mediterranean Fan Palm.
Toxicity is partly unassessed
- Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
What the sources say about its care
- Light
- Partial shadeRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- 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.
H4 — -10 to -5°C -10 to -5 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Loam; pH Acid or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · 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
- During growth, water moderately and give a balanced fertiliser monthly. Give little water in winter.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- While growing, water moderately and give a balanced fertiliser monthly.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- By division or seed.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Increase from seed or suckers.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- With suckers removed, it grows as a tree with a single trunk, though some cultivars form one upright trunk naturally.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Pruning is not needed.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by scale insects, thrips and glasshouse red spider mite. Diseases: rarely, honey fungus.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
Chamaerops is a genus of flowering plants in the family Arecaceae. It contains only one species, Chamaerops humilis, variously called European fan palm or the Mediterranean dwarf palm. It is one of the most cold-hardy palms and is used in landscaping in temperate climates.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- W. & C. Medit.World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Western & Central Mediterranean coasts of Europe and Africa.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026W & C MediterraneanRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- subtropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- subshrub or shrubWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Perennial, Shrub, Tree; habit clumping, erect, multi-stemmed, multi-trunked, roundedNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Bushy (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 72–180 in; width 72–240 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 1.5-2.5 metres; spread 1-1.5 metres after 20–50 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers gold/yellow; blooms in springNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers yellow in spring and summerRHS · 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.