Aglaonema ‘B.J. Freeman’

A Florida seedling selected by B. Frank Brown

B. Frank Brown selected Aglaonema ‘B.J. Freeman’ in Valkaria, Florida, from a seedling of the plant then cultivated as Aglaonema crispum. It was reproduced by divisions and cuttings at the Weyerhaeuser Tissue Culture Center in Apopka and patented in 1989. The cultivar is known only from cultivation.

Care for broad-leaved Aglaonema ‘B.J. Freeman’

• Light: Use medium to bright indirect light. Turn the pot occasionally if light comes mainly from one side, and protect the broad leaves from strong sun through glass.
• Watering: A large or densely rooted pot may be dry at the surface but wet in the centre. Check deeper and lift the pot before watering. Once it is clearly lighter, wet the whole root ball and let all excess drain.
• Temperature, humidity and airflow: Keep it at 18–27 °C and above 15 °C. Around 45–60% humidity is normally enough; use a humidifier if the air stays very dry and brown edges keep developing. Leave room for airflow through the crown, away from cold draughts, fans and radiators.
• Feeding: Use a complete houseplant fertiliser at a low dose every three to four waterings during active growth. Feed less often whenever growth slows, regardless of the season, and never fertilise a dry root ball or a stressed plant.
• Substrate and repotting: Use coco coir or peat, small bark and perlite or pumice in a stable draining pot. Let a newly delivered plant settle before repotting. When roots fill the container or the mix compacts, use a pot only slightly larger than the root system and keep the grouped stems at the same depth.
• Leaf and crown care: Its broad crown needs clear space around it, and a stable pot prevents the top-heavy plant from tipping.
• Propagation: Divide a well-rooted basal shoot during repotting, or root a cane section with at least one healthy node in warm, lightly moist substrate.

Drooping, creases and surface marks on Aglaonema ‘B.J. Freeman’

• Drooping leaves: A dry root ball and damaged roots in wet substrate can look similar from above. Lift the pot and check moisture below the surface before watering; the drooping guide helps separate the two.
• Creased or torn leaves: Broad blades keep pressure marks from packaging, cleaning or repeated contact with furniture. Leave a damaged leaf in place while it remains healthy and give the crown enough clearance for new growth.
• Surface marks: Dried water is conspicuous on the matt surface. A deposit lifts with a damp soft cloth; a mark that remains within the tissue is physical or physiological damage and should not be scrubbed.
• Pests: Use the broad leaf surface to check for silvery thrips scars, spider-mite stippling and sticky scale or mealybug residue. Inspect the undersides, midribs and crowded petiole bases.

Pet safety: Aglaonema ‘B.J. Freeman’

Aglaonema ‘B.J. Freeman’ is not pet-safe. Aglaonema contains insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which can cause immediate mouth pain and irritation, swelling of the mouth, tongue or lips, drooling, vomiting and difficulty swallowing if chewed. Sap may also irritate skin and eyes.

The Greek roots of Aglaonema ‘B.J. Freeman’

Aglaonema combines Greek aglaos, meaning shining or splendid, with nema, meaning thread or filament. Botanist Dan H. Nicolson rendered the resulting name as “shining stamen” in his monograph of the genus. Heinrich Wilhelm Schott established Aglaonema on 8 September 1829 on page 892 of issue 108 of Wiener Zeitschrift für Kunst, Litteratur, Theater und Mode.