Caladium
Also called Angel wings, Elephant's ears, Fancy leaved caladium.
| Light | medium light |
|---|---|
| Water | Every 4 days in the growing season, every 45 in winter |
| Pets | Cats toxic, dogs toxic |
Source: ASPCA Animal Poison Control, toxic and non-toxic plants, Caladium entry.
Toxic to cats and dogs if chewed. Toxic to cats, dogs and horses. The principle is insoluble calcium oxalates, causing pain and swelling of the mouth, tongue and lips, drooling, vomiting and difficulty swallowing. Keep it where an animal that eats houseplants cannot reach it, and speak to a vet if one does. In South Africa telephone the Poison Information Helpline on 0861 555 777; in the US, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435.
The leaves are the point and they are extraordinary: heart shaped, almost translucent, painted in pink, red, white and green in combinations that look printed. It grows from a tuber, and the thing to understand before buying one is that it is not an evergreen houseplant. It comes into leaf in spring, performs all summer, then yellows and dies down completely in autumn and wants to be stored dry and warm until the following spring. People who do not know that throw away a perfectly healthy dormant tuber every October. Give it warmth, humidity, shade from direct sun and steady moisture while it is in leaf, and keep it away from pets.
Ailments observed
| Brown crisp edges on the leaves | Direct sun or dry air, both of which the paper thin leaves object to. Move it out of the sun and raise the humidity. The leaves are thin enough to be translucent and they mark permanently. |
|---|---|
| Yellow leaves at the bottom of the plant | Autumn arriving, which is normal, or cold at any other time. If the days are shortening, let it die down and store the tuber dry. If it is midsummer, check the room is above eighteen degrees. |
Filed underPlants for humid air, Statement plants
Neighbouring entries
African violet
Streptocarpus ionanthusAfrican violet care that keeps it flowering all year, with why you water from below, what makes the pale rings on the leaves, and how to root a single leaf.
Alocasia
Alocasia x amazonicaAlocasia care with the humidity and warmth it insists on, why it drops leaves in winter, and what the tuber is doing when the plant looks dead.
Asparagus fern
Asparagus densiflorusNot a fern at all but an asparagus, in soft green plumes that turn out to have thorns. Easy, fast, and toxic to cats and dogs.