Aglaonema ‘Cintho King’

The unknown beginning of ‘Cintho King’

Aglaonema ‘Cintho King’ is a cultivated green-leaved selection with no known breeding account. The person who selected it, the plants used to produce it and its first commercial release have not been identified. Its ancestry cannot be followed back to a species or locality, leaving its natural habitat background open.

Care for broad-leaved Aglaonema ‘Cintho King’

• 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: Keep the grouped shoot bases free of dead material and wipe the broad leaves when dust becomes visible.
• 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.

Soft grouped stems and cold damage on Aglaonema ‘Cintho King’

• Soft stems: Yellowing combined with a heavy pot and softness where the grouped stems meet the substrate indicates root or stem decay, not ordinary leaf ageing. Photograph the collapse and inspect the entire root system before cutting, repotting or treating; soft dark roots and sour-smelling substrate confirm that removal is needed. After the collapsed tissue has been mapped, remove only collapsed tissue and reset firm stems in an airy substrate.
• Cold damage: Grey, brown or black water-soaked patches can appear a few days after cold transport or contact with winter glass. Return the plant to stable warmth and wait until the affected area stops spreading. Keep the damaged leaf attached while the patch is changing; once its border is stable, remove only tissue that has become fully dry or soft, using a clean blade.
• Pests in the stem cluster: Gently separate the leaves enough to inspect the bases for mealybugs and scale. Check the undersides as well for thrips and spider mites, then isolate an affected plant.

Pet safety: Aglaonema ‘Cintho King’

Aglaonema ‘Cintho King’ 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 botanical name carried by ‘Cintho King’

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.