Some catalogs list Neanthe bella as Collinia elegans, others as Chamaedorea elegans. In Hortus II, L. H. Bailey says that Neanthe is probably Collinia elegans and that Collinia differs from Chamaedorea in its inner floral envelope of flowers.
So you pay your money, and you make your choice. But by whatever name you call it, this pygmy palm is a definite asset to any house plant collection.
Neanthe Bella’s Characteristics and Benefits
Native to Mexico and Central America, Neanthe Bella was discovered some half a century ago in Yucatan.
It is a true palm with all the grace and airiness of the larger ones, without the necessity of growing it in a cumbersome container that takes superhuman strength to move at cleaning time.
Nor is it likely that the day will come all too soon when you must choose between discarding a huge monster or cutting a hole in the ceiling as the only way to accommodate its branches.
Slow growing, Neanthe Bella will remain at a comfortable height, reaching maturity in a six or eight-inch pot only after a great many years of growth.
It has a decided advantage over the larger palms in that it will adapt itself to growing in any number of places because of its diminutive size—on a mantel, a piano, a coffee table, or wherever your fancy dictates.
Versatility and Decorative Uses
And its versatility is limited only by the extent of one’s imagination. What could be more appropriate on Palm Sunday than a small grouping of these as a centerpiece for your dinner table?
They can be attractive, also, in a dish garden with other small, low-growing plants that like the same growing conditions.
With the increasing interest in Bonsai, which can remain indoors only a few days at a time, here is an excellent substitute, one that needs never to go outside.
Care and Growing Tips
Like its larger brethren, it will survive shade, dryness, and a variation of temperatures; it has more cold tolerance than the larger varieties. Do not, however, subject it to too much sun.
If you want to grow it in a sunny window, place it in the shadow of other plants, as it prefers a shady spot to too much direct sunlight. Or filter the sunlight with a curtain.
While Neanthe Bella will tolerate a dry atmosphere, it will not take kindly to drying out of the soil, and water is especially important during the winter months when the furnace is in operation.
For this reason, I grow them in wick-fed plastic planters, which automatically furnish the right amount of moisture to grow these palms successfully.
When I purchased my first one in late September, it had three healthy fronds and a new one sprouting.
Grown in the winter months in a rather gloomy corner in a 2-inch clay pot, it was generally overlooked at watering time. The smallest frond soon withered and died, and the new sprout remained static throughout the winter.
Early in the spring, it was removed from the clay pot and placed in one of these wick-fed planters, the only growing medium, other than the soil clinging to the rootball, being finely screened leaf mold.
Placed in a lighter spot, the plant responded promptly, and the new shoot grew rapidly and had scarcely unfurled before a second one appeared.
Neanthe bella produces new fronds every four to six weeks, although this is not a hard-and-fast rule. Sometimes, it will take a short vacation, waiting a few weeks before returning to production.
Propagation and Seed Germination
You can propagate new plants from your seed, too. Still, there are several “ifs” involved—if you grow both a male and a female plant, if you can succeed in producing blooms on both simultaneously, if you can wait a year for the seed to ripen, and if you have the patience to wait another year or so for the seeds to germinate.
Plants, however, are so cheaply priced at less than a dollar that all the time and trouble involved in raising your plants scarcely seems worth the bother.
Incidentally, Neanthe does bloom, but plants must be at least three years old before they produce their flowers.
Pest Control
Keep an eye open for mealybugs, red spiders, and thrips, especially if you grow a great number of other house plants.
Mealybug can be easily eradicated by dipping a cotton swab into alcohol and applying it to the pest.
A cold shower, vigorously applied to the topside and underside of the plant, will effectively control the red spider, for this dousing gives the little beasties pneumonia.
Thrips, unfortunately, are a tougher breed, and gassing them is the only solution. So, unless you have a detached greenhouse where this method can be carried out safely, it would be better to discard infected plants.
Conclusion
Don’t let these pests deter you, however, from the pleasure of growing this miniature gem. So far—and I tap wood—my plants have remained clean.
44659 by Keith S. Phillips