The fishtail palm (Caryota mitis or Caryota urens) is one of the easiest palms to identify at a glance — instead of the feathery, finely divided fronds you’d expect from an areca palm or kentia palm, its leaflets look ragged and torn, almost like they were cut with pinking shears. That’s where the “fishtail” name comes from — each leaflet is roughly triangular with a jagged outer edge, said to resemble a fish’s tail fin. Caryota mitis, the clumping fishtail palm, is the version most commonly sold as a houseplant and grows multiple stems from the base, giving it a fuller, bushier look than most single-trunk indoor palms.

Light

Give it bright, indirect light. A fishtail palm tolerates somewhat lower light than a lot of other houseplants, but it grows fuller and faster with good indirect brightness, and a few feet back from an east- or west-facing window works well. Direct, hot afternoon sun through unfiltered glass can scorch the thin leaflets, so keep it out of the most intense midday light if you can.

Watering

This is where a fishtail palm breaks from most other common indoor palms: it wants more consistent moisture and doesn’t like to dry out fully between waterings. Where a parlor palm or majesty palm tolerates the soil drying out somewhat, a fishtail palm’s leaflets will start browning and crisping at the edges if it goes dry for too long. Water when the top inch of soil has dried out, and don’t let the pot sit bone-dry for extended stretches. At the same time, the roots still don’t want to sit in standing water, so make sure the pot drains well and empty any saucer that collects runoff.

Humidity

Native to tropical understories, fishtail palms appreciate humidity above what most homes offer naturally, especially in winter with dry heating running. Browning, crisping leaflet tips are as often a humidity problem as a watering one. A pebble tray, a nearby humidifier, or grouping it with other plants all help — see how to increase humidity for houseplants for the full rundown of methods and which ones actually move the needle.

Soil and pot

A rich, well-draining potting mix suits it best — a standard houseplant mix with a bit of added perlite for drainage. Because this plant wants to stay more consistently moist than other palms, an overly fast-draining, gritty mix built for cacti or succulents will dry out too quickly and work against you here. Make sure the pot has a drainage hole regardless.

Temperature

Fishtail palms are tropical and don’t tolerate cold well. Keep them away from drafty windows and doors in winter, and don’t let the room dip much below 60°F (15°C). Sudden cold drafts can cause leaf damage even if the room temperature overall seems fine.

Toxicity

Fishtail palms are non-toxic to cats and dogs, making them a safe choice if you’re building out a pet-friendly plant collection alongside other safe palms. See pet-safe houseplants for cats and dogs for more options.

Common problems

Brown, crispy leaflet tips or edges usually point to low humidity or letting the plant dry out too much between waterings — the two issues this palm is most sensitive to compared with other common indoor palms. Increase humidity and check that you’re not stretching the gap between waterings too long.

Yellowing lower leaves on an older stem can be normal — like most palms, a fishtail palm sheds its oldest fronds as it grows. But widespread yellowing across the whole plant, especially paired with soggy soil, points to overwatering or poor drainage instead.

Slow or stalled growth is often just this plant’s pace — fishtail palms aren’t fast growers indoors. Check that light, water, and humidity are all reasonably in range before assuming something’s wrong; a lack of new growth over a few weeks isn’t unusual for a healthy plant.

Individual stems dying back in a clumping plant isn’t necessarily fatal to the whole plant. In Caryota mitis, each stem is somewhat like an individual trunk that flowers, fruits, and eventually dies back on its own timeline over years, while new stems continue emerging from the base. Losing one stem in an otherwise multi-stemmed, actively growing plant is usually part of its natural growth cycle rather than a sign of a care problem.