Caladium

Caladium tubers and growing plants

• Supplied form: dormant tubers and actively growing plants.
• Seasonal stage: active leaf count reflects current growth.
• Size reference: tubers use grade; growing plants use pot size.
• Pet toxicity: Caladium can poison cats and dogs and cause painful mouth irritation.

Caladium: botanical profile for tuberous painted aroids

Caladium is a small genus of tuberous aroids in Araceae, best known for hybrids derived largely from Caladium bicolor. The genus was erected by Ventenat in the early nineteenth century. Only around 14-20 species are recognised, but intensive breeding has produced a broad horticultural range of plants with strikingly patterned, paper-thin leaves.

• Order: Alismatales
• Family: Araceae
• Tribe: Caladieae / Colocasieae alliance within subfamily Aroideae
• Genus: Caladium Vent.
• Type species: Caladium bicolor (Aiton) Vent.
• Chromosomes: Somatic counts mostly between 2n = 18 and 38, with evidence for base numbers around x = 9 and multiple polyploid series

Range & habitat: Caladium is native to tropical Central and South America, particularly Brazil and surrounding regions. Species occur in seasonally moist lowland forests, riverine margins and partially open habitats where soils are periodically saturated but not permanently submerged, often passing through a dry-season resting phase underground.

• Life form: Herbaceous perennials with swollen, underground tubers that drive seasonal flushes of foliage, followed by partial or complete dormancy when conditions dry or cool.
• Leaf attachment: Petioles arise directly from the tuber and terminate in sagittate to cordate blades, typically with the petiole inserting near the sinus.
• Leaf size: Many cultivated forms produce blades 15-45 cm long, depending on clone and growing conditions; wild species span smaller to similar ranges.
• Texture & colour: Thin, almost translucent laminae carry sharply contrasting zones of green, wh

The seasonal rhythm of Caladium

Caladium grows from underground tubers and produces thin colourful leaves during warm, active months. Named forms vary in leaf shape, height, vein pattern and colour balance, from compact strap-leaf plants to broad heart-shaped forms with a wider canopy.

Strap leaves and broad fancy leaves

Strap-leaf cultivars usually form a compact upright shape with narrower blades. Fancy-leaf types develop broader foliage and a fuller silhouette. Pale white and pink tissue appreciates bright filtered light, while deeper green forms often hold colour across a wider range.

Tuber size and the number of active eyes influence the first flush of growth. A developed tuber can produce several shoots, while compact cultivars keep the display close to the pot. Leaf count increases through the active season.

A defined seasonal cycle

Warmth and increasing light trigger new shoots. Established plants build their display through successive leaves, then return to a resting tuber as the season ends. This seasonal rhythm shapes Caladium care from emergence through rest.

Mature height and leaf width give the best sense of the space each cultivar needs. A group of active shoots creates a fuller canopy, while one strong shoot gives a more open arrangement.

Caladium leaves and tubers contain calcium oxalate crystals that can irritate the mouth if chewed. Store dormant tubers and growing plants in an area inaccessible to children and pets, and wash hands after contact with sap.