Family: Arecaceae

Footstool palm is solitarily stemmed topped with beautiful, green, glossy fan-shaped fronds. Native to the forests of Southeast Asia and New Guinea, it does best with shade when young and full sun as an adult. It makes for a stunning indoor plant. Give it bright indirect light and keep the soil moist. Indoor plants naturally filter the air inside!

Outside, the footstool palm is moderately wind tolerant. Its roots are unobtrusive. It drops little to no leaf litter. The heart and seeds are edible.

Plant Uses:

• Container plant
• Edible
• Indoor plant
• Ornamental
• Shade

Plant Dangers:

• No dangers

High Risk Traits:

• Highly suited to tropical/subtropical climates
  
• History of repeated introductions outside native range
  
• Produces spines at base of leaf stems
  
• Susceptible to lethal yellowing (palm disease)
  
• Shade tolerant at some life stage
  
• Produces viable seed
  
• Intentionally dispersed by people (landscaping)
  
• Bird-dispersed (fleshy, colorful fruit)
  
• Seeds survive gut passage

Low Risk Traits:

• No evidence of naturalization or weediness
  
• No toxicity to animals or humans
  
• No fire hazard (grows in moist lowlands)
  
• Narrow soil tolerance (prefers sandy, well-drained soil)
  
• Single-trunked; no smothering or dense thickets
  
• No vegetative reproduction
  
• Minimum generative time: 4+ years
  
• Large fruit (0.7 in) — not wind-dispersed or likely to contaminate produce
  
• No persistent seed bank (germinates within ~3 months)
  
• Killed by lopping apical meristem (no mutilation tolerance)