The cast-iron plant, also called the parlor palm, is a hardy house plant that bears broad, oblong, leathery leaves from creeping rhizomes below soil level. Some varieties are variegated, with cream to white stripes, but lose their coloration if not given good light.
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A Victorian favorite, the cast-iron plant is slowly coming back into popularity, but remains expensive because of its slow growth. The common name refers as much to its iron-clad constitution as to the darkness of its leaves: Just about nothing will kill it.