Over the past several hundred years, palms have been quite popular as house plants. During previous centuries, when taxonomists would search across great expanses of sea and land for new plant species with economic value, these plants (some of them palms) would be returned to their home institutions conservatory and grown. Some proved adaptable and complementary to the home environment and have proven successful as indoor plants. Some did not. Since that time, nurserymen have found, usually through trial and error, which species of palms do well as houseplants.