Aglaonema ‘Emerald Stone’

A marbled cultivar with an unknown family tree

Aglaonema ‘Emerald Stone’ is a horticultural selection maintained for its green, mint and silver marbling. The breeder and original parents are unknown, and the location and timing of its selection have not been passed on through the trade. Its species ancestry and the habitat conditions represented by that ancestry therefore remain unclear.

Care for Aglaonema ‘Emerald Stone’

• Light: Medium to bright indirect light is suitable. Lower light slows growth and keeps the pot wet longer; strong sun through glass can scorch the leaves.
• Watering: Water when the surface feels dry and the pot is noticeably lighter, after checking that the root ball below is no longer wet. Small pots and brighter, warmer positions dry sooner. Wet the whole root ball and let the pot drain.
• Temperature, humidity and airflow: Keep it at 18–27 °C and above 15 °C, especially when the substrate is wet. Around 45–60% humidity is usually sufficient. If humidity stays below about 40% and edges 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 an open mix of coco coir or peat, small bark and perlite or pumice in a draining pot. Let a newly delivered plant settle in its original pot. Repot when roots fill the container or the mix compacts, using a pot only slightly larger than the root system and keeping the stems at the same depth.
• Leaf care: Wipe the leaves when dusty and remove lower foliage only after it has fully yellowed.
• Propagation: Division is simplest: separate a basal shoot after it develops its own roots. Cane sections with at least one healthy node can also root in warm, lightly moist substrate.

Residue or chilling damage on Aglaonema ‘Emerald Stone’

• Pale surface film: Mineral residue lifts with one gentle pass of a damp soft cloth. A mark that remains within the tissue or changes in size is damage and should not be rubbed repeatedly.
• Chilling damage: Dark, water-soaked patches appearing after transport, a draught or contact with cold glass are tissue injury. Restore stable warmth and wait until the patch stops spreading. Wait until the damaged boundary has stopped spreading, then remove only tissue that is fully collapsed, soft or dry, using a clean blade.
• Pests: Check both leaf surfaces for thrips scars and spider-mite stippling, then inspect petiole bases and stem joints for mealybugs and scale. Isolate an affected plant.

Pet safety: Aglaonema ‘Emerald Stone’

Aglaonema ‘Emerald Stone’ 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 meaning of the genus name in ‘Emerald Stone’

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.