Aglaonema 'Cutlass'

The Indian hybrid sold as Cutlass

Cutlass is the trade name for Aglaonema ‘Muklass’, bred by Parthasarathy Mukundan from ‘Silver Ribbons’ and an unnamed selection of Aglaonema stenophyllum f. linearifolium. The cross was made in 2005 and the seedling was selected at Tiruporur, Chennai, in 2006. This is a cultivated hybrid with no wild locality of its own.

Care for the sword-shaped leaves of Aglaonema ‘Cutlass’

• Light: Give the long silver-green blades medium to bright filtered light. Enough light supports the freely clumping habit, while direct rays can leave narrow tan scorch marks along the exposed surface. Allow space around the pot so the outer leaves can arch clear of glass and nearby objects.
• Watering: Check the whole pot before watering, since a wide clump can shade the surface and keep the centre moist. Wait for a dry top layer and a distinct loss of weight, soak the root ball completely and drain it well. A broad plant in a large pot may need a longer interval than its active growth suggests.
• Temperature, humidity and airflow: Keep it at 18–27 °C and above 15 °C. Around 45–60% humidity is normally enough. If humidity stays below about 40% and tips keep drying, move the plant away from heating or use a humidifier. Normal room airflow is enough; avoid cold draughts and direct hot air.
• 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 in its original pot. Repot after roots fill the container, choosing a pot only slightly larger than the root system.
• Leaf care: Run a damp cloth along each sword-shaped blade while supporting it from below. Keep the flexible tips away from traffic and check the lengthwise folds and petiole bases for concealed pests.
• Propagation: Divide one of the freely produced basal shoots once it has a useful root system. Cane segments with a healthy node also root in warm airy substrate and can be supported upright until new growth steadies them.

Folding, dry tips and drooping in the narrow leaves of Aglaonema ‘Cutlass’

• Folded or torn leaves: Long, narrow blades crease where they press against packaging, a wall or neighbouring plants. The fold will remain, but more clearance protects emerging leaves.
• Brown tips: Check whether the root ball dries unevenly, whether a radiator or fan blows across the leaf ends and whether salts have collected on the substrate. The brown-tip guide helps narrow down the cause.
• Drooping: Inspect moisture through the root ball before watering. Rehydrate a genuinely dry pot thoroughly; limp leaves above wet mix require a drainage and root check.
• Pests: Run the inspection along the midrib and narrow underside, where thrips and spider mites can be missed. Check the petiole bases for mealybugs and scale.

Pet safety: Aglaonema ‘Cutlass’

Aglaonema ‘Cutlass’ 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.

How Aglaonema was named

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.