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| Photo Credit: Gerald Klingaman |
| The young leaves of ‘Neon’ nephthytis have attractive red veining. |
I have a confession to make: Sometimes I neglect our houseplants. Being easily distracted and somewhat on the lazy side, I often put off the rather important task of watering until my plants are crying out for attention and my wife steps in to save them. Surveying the plants scattered about our patio and living room, I realize that the one I've had the longest - that still looks the best with my brand of mistreatment - is the lovely nephthytis.
Known botanically as Syngonium podophyllum, nephthytis is a slow-growing tropical vine native to tropical parts of Mexico, Central America and Brazil. Like many members of the philodendron family, this beauty produces leaves that change as it matures. While nephthytis is young, its foliage has arrowhead-shaped leaf blades 5-7 inches long. But as they reach maturity and begin to climb, the leaves develop two or more basal lobes that separate into individual leaflets that look like wings. These leaves are usually infused with shades of white or gray in the middle. Don't expect your nephthytis to mature too quickly. In fact, it can take a year or two before the plant begins sending out its sprawling stems, looking for something to climb. I usually prefer to grow the plant as a tabletop specimen in a 6-inch pot, so I keep these stems pruned off. (When the vines begin to get too long and the plant too shaggy, I just cut off the stems and use them to start new plants.) Caring for nephthytis is easy: In spring, I trim the plant back and give it some slow-release fertilizer before moving it outdoors for the summer. I keep it watered during the hot months, but I don't fret if it wilts occasionally between inspections. Come fall, before it gets too cold, I move it back indoors, which I'm sometimes lazy about, as well. In fact, over the years I've learned that nephthytis is pretty insensitive to cold temperatures (unlike many other members of the philodendron family). It can even tolerate temperatures down to 35 degrees F without any symptoms of chilling injury.
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