What is this plant? (Neanthe bella)

Help Identify This Plant

Question:

Michele from East Bethel, MN

Answer:

From what I can make out from your picture, this looks to me like a Neanthe bella, also commonly known as a Parlor Palm. These wonderful plants are considered 'feather palms', and are characterized by fronds that are divided on either side of the midrib into leaflets. The leaflets can be soft and dropping or still and erect. The Parlor Palm is the most widely grown plant of all the indoor palms. I received one as a gift about a year ago. Here is what I know about them.

As far as palms go, the Neanthe bella makes a wonderful houseplant. Under optimal conditions, it can grow up to 4 ft tall and has less of a tendency to develop brown tips under dry conditions. Under the right conditions, tiny yellow or white flowers may even appear while the plant is still quite small (although most consider these rather unsightly). It isn't necessary to treat this palm as though it needs the strong sunlight of the tropics, nor does it need dry, desert-like air. It's actually quite happy in an average room. In the winter, it does best in cooler night temperatures (the way you probably turn down the thermostat at night to between 50 F and 60 F is perfect). Keep them in a bright room, but out of direct sunlight. Provide them with well-drained soil, slightly moist, but do not let their roots stand in water. How much water they need typically depends on the light they receive (filtered is best), so more moisture in the summer. Sponge the leaves occasionally to remove dust and do not transplant them until they are good and root bound (palms don't appreciate being disturbed).

Ellen