Species · genus Howea · Arecaceae

Kentia Palm

Howea forsteriana (F.Muell.) Becc.

Also known as: Forster Sentry Palm · Paradise Palm · Sentry Palm · Sentrypalm · Thatch Palm

Growth habit

tree

Native range

Norfolk Is.

Reference · H. forsteriana

Cultivars of H. forsteriana

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under H. forsteriana yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

Howea forsteriana is a slow-growing palm from the subtropical islands off eastern Australia, where it grows as an understory and coastal tree tolerant of lower light. Give it bright indirect light and water when the top inch or two of mix has dried, letting it approach dryness between drinks since palms resent soggy roots and crown rot. It accepts ordinary household humidity but appreciates good airflow.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 14 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

15–27 °C

Soil mix

Well-draining, peat-based palm mix

Propagation

Grown from seed; no vegetative division

Fertilizing

Light balanced feed monthly spring through summer

Growth rate

Slow

Flowering

Does not flower as an indoor foliage palm

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Not yet documented

This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-14d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Kentia Palm yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.