Ctenanthe pilosa
1st August 2008
Part of my systematic plan to kill all members of the Marantaceae for myself before I am prepared to believe they are not hardy!
Ctenanthe pilosa has performed well in gardens in North America, and is said to be fairly cold tolerant, withstanding a few degrees of frost
without damage, so it is one more that is worth trying, at least in the greenhouse. It is very common as a houseplant, at least in its varigated form ,
'Golden Mosaic'. I was very pleased to find this plant that had reverted to green, which is probably going to be the hardier form.
14th November 2009
Naturally, I have to choose the coldest winter for 20 years to try it out in! The plant in the greenhouse dropped dead and has not attempted to regrow from below ground.
Fortunately, I had a small piece in the conservatory where it has grown vigorously.
3rd September 2010
Like most of the Marantaceae, it grows fast if kept warm and fed well.
22nd March 2011
Some plants from Brazil are surprisingly hardy, and this is not one of them. Having killed it twice I am not planning to try again until I have a nice warm greenhouse
to hide in from October to March!
In case you were wondering, once one of the Marantaceae looks like this there isn't much point hoping for recovery.