I have several seedlings of both forms of Hyophorbe indica. The more common, green form is endemic to the east coast of Reunion, whilst the rarer, red version is from the south west/central region. They are slow to start, but gain speed very quickly. From my own experience, the red form is by no means a sensitive palm to grow. In fact, mine looked pitiful for many months with brown leaves and soft stems, but come summer, they decided to straighten up and are now pushing a healthy, new leaf. The green form is a faster grower, but not nearly as pretty.