Kentia palm vs Dwarf umbrella tree

Howea forsteriana · Heptapleurum arboricola

Pet safety: Kentia palm is listed non-toxic to cats and dogs; Dwarf umbrella tree is toxic (insoluble calcium oxalates). If the two are sold under the same name, a mislabelled plant is a genuine risk in a house with animals.

Why these two get mixed up

Dwarf umbrella tree is recorded here as a pet-safe alternative to Kentia palm, so the question is usually whether the swap is actually a fair one.

Kentia palm (Howea forsteriana) — **Kentia palm** — Howea forsteriana. Photograph by Black Diamond Images, Wikimedia Commons , CC BY 2.0.

Dwarf umbrella tree (Heptapleurum arboricola) — **Dwarf umbrella tree** — Heptapleurum arboricola. Photograph by JMK, Wikimedia Commons , CC BY-SA 3.0.

	Kentia palm	Dwarf umbrella tree
Scientific name	Howea forsteriana	Heptapleurum arboricola
Family	Arecaceae	Araliaceae
Light floor	Low	Medium
Water	8–14 days	7–14 days
Humidity floor	40%	40%
Mature height	48–120 in	24–96 in
Habit	clumping	upright
Growth rate	slow	fast
Difficulty	Easy	Easy
Toxic to pets	No	Yes
Typical price	$60–250	$20–70

Highlighted cells are where the two actually differ. Everything else they share.

The differences that matter

Pet safety

This is the difference that matters most. Kentia palm is listed non-toxic to cats and dogs; Dwarf umbrella tree is toxic (insoluble calcium oxalates). If the two are sold under the same name, a mislabelled plant is a genuine risk in a house with animals.

Mature size

Kentia palm reaches about 120 inches; Dwarf umbrella tree tops out near 96. Buying the wrong one for a shelf means rehoming it in a year.

Light

Kentia palm tolerates low light; Dwarf umbrella tree needs medium as a floor. Put the second in the first's spot and it stretches and declines.

Habit

Kentia palm grows clumping; Dwarf umbrella tree grows upright. That decides where each one physically works.

Not even related

Kentia palm is Arecaceae, Dwarf umbrella tree is Araliaceae. They share a shop label and nothing else — different families, different continents, different care.

Which should you buy?

With a cat or dog in the house, take Kentia palm. The other is toxic, and if the shop label is wrong you will not know which you have brought home.
In a dim room, take Kentia palm.
If you forget to water, take either.
If it is your first plant, take Kentia palm, at 1 of 5.
For a small shelf, take Dwarf umbrella tree, which stops around 96 inches.

Full entries

Kentia palm — care fields with sources, toxicity with every authority consulted, propagation and diagnosis. Dwarf umbrella tree — the same.

Sources

This database's own care records for Howea forsteriana and Heptapleurum arboricola — every figure compared above.
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Plants of the World Online — accepted names and families for Howea forsteriana and Heptapleurum arboricola
ASPCA Animal Poison Control — toxicity classification for both, cited on each species entry
Photographs: Wikimedia Commons, individually credited and licensed above

Compiled and edited by Tony Valcarcel · 2026-09-12
Every comparison above is drawn from a recorded field. Where the honest distinguisher is visual we show both photographs rather than describing a leaf we have no field for. How this is sourced.