PlantFiles: Spider Plant, Airplane Plant
Chlorophytum comosum 'Bonnie'

Well, I dunno if that "patent" is an honest one, because I took what looked like a curly form of this "Bonnie" spiderplant from my In-Laws' driveway and potted it in my container-garden. The leaves were originally very pale green, almost yellow with the distinctive white striping that makes it so pretty.

It has since grown from a compact ball of twirly leaves that were only two or three inches long to a smooth, deeper-green-and-white-leaved plant that's now overtaking it's eight-inch pot with ten-inch long leaves. It grows fairly quickly and I'm expecting to see some runners soon.

It's healthy and happy in it's spot on my baker's rack in a shaded area. The curled, tightly-held form of this particular plant was definitely due to stressed conditions: it didn't get enough water or fertilizer, and it was in direct, dessicating sun. I water mine every other day lightly, mist the leaves and fertilize with diluted Schultz's liquid plant food regularly. It seems to be doing wonderfully. :)

In doing a little research, I have found that many sites are referring to the Bonnie as a stressed Vittatum.

"Chlorophytum comosum ‘Bonnie’ (Curly Spider Plant) - has the traditional green with white stripe variegation of the ‘Vittatum’ but with uniquely attractive leaves that curl and swirl. It is characterized by its rounded and compact plant habit. Flowering stalks are yellow and plantlets are as curly or curlier than the parent. Read somewhere that the amount of curl in the leaves is strongly dependant on the growing conditions. A slightly neglected or stressed plant will produce a curlier result than a well-nourished plant that will have straighter leaves. Hmm…this makes me wonder whether our Spider Plants that we thought were ‘Bonnie’ are actually ‘Vittatum’?"