Lush green 'feathery' houseplant keeps your home's air fresh all year round

The Parlour Palm - Chamaedorea elegans - can be a beautiful addition to your home and act also as an air purifier. It grows slowly and is good for novice plant owners

Houseplants are great ways to decorate your home and make it more welcoming - but some of them also offer extra benefits such as helping purify the air or fight issues such as damp and mould.

One such plant is the Parlour Palm, whose scientific name is Chamaedorea elegans. This beautiful palm, with long stems and lush green, feathery foliage, is a great addition to your home and can also act as an air purifier. It is is native to the rainforests in Southern Mexico and Guatemala, but since Victorian times, it is has been a popular indoor plant thanks to its ability to adapt to relatively low light and low temperatures. The reason why it's called "Parlour palm" is that it used to grace "parlours", which were used by people to receive and impress guests.

According to The Palm Centre, these plants won't quickly take over the space they're placed in due to their slow-growing nature. In their natural environment, they can grow up to eight foot tall, but indoors their ultimate height is a more manageable four foot. While these plants thrive best in bright indirect light, they can also survive in shade and dry air, making it a brilliant gift for novice plant owners.

The Parlour palm enjoys moist, well-drained soil with composted organics and some drainage material. You should water it when the soil begins to dry out - but make sure you don't overwater it. According to Hortology, you should ensure that the plant has proper drainage to prevent root rot developing. During the growing season, you should feed the palm with a weak solution every few weeks. However, this is not needed during the winter season, plant experts from the website said. And the palm isn't toxic, so it's safe to keep around pets and small children.

Earlier this year, we shared the top indoor plants that will clean the air in your bedroom so you can sleep better - including the Florist's Chrysanthemum, English Ivy, Peace Lily, Lady Palm and Snake Plant. David Domoney, Everest ambassador and horticulturist, claims that having house plants can also help you to live longer.

David, 60, said: "It is well known that many plants can help improve indoor air quality. They absorb pollutants through their leaves, roots, and with microorganisms in the soil filter out harmful compounds which build up in our homes and release clean oxygen." He added: "This natural process helps reduce levels of carbon dioxide, increase humidity, and eliminate significant amounts of airborne pollutants, thereby improving the overall air quality within indoor environments. Plants contribute to indoor air quality improvement through a few of their natural processes."