Aglaonema pictum ‘Bicolor’

A two-coloured cultivated form from a Sumatran species

Aglaonema pictum ‘Bicolor’ is a horticultural selection within Aglaonema pictum. The species is native to Sumatra, including Nias, where it grows as a subshrub in wet tropical forest. No breeder, selection locality or introduction date has been documented for the cultivated ‘Bicolor’ line.

Care for creeping Aglaonema pictum ‘Bicolor’

• Light: Use medium to bright filtered light. A very dark position slows the creeping growth. Direct sun can mark the leaves. Increase exposure gradually after transport or a darker period.
• Watering: Keep the root zone lightly moist, never saturated. Water when the surface begins to dry and the pot loses some weight, after checking below. Small, shallow pots dry quickly; cooler or lower-light conditions slow them down. Water thoroughly and drain the pot.
• Temperature, humidity and airflow: Keep it at 20–27 °C and above 15 °C, particularly when wet. Aim for about 60–75% humidity. A humidifier or cabinet may be needed in a drier room; in a cabinet, use gentle ventilation so moisture does not sit around the low stem.
• Feeding: Use a complete houseplant fertiliser at a low dose about every four waterings during active growth. Feed less often when growth slows, and wait until newly arrived or rooted plants resume growth.
• Substrate, stem position and repotting: Use a fine, porous mix of coco coir or peat, small bark and perlite or pumice in a draining pot. Let a newly delivered plant settle before repotting. Keep the creeping stem on the surface with its roots covered, using a container only slightly larger than the rooted section.
• Leaf care: Wipe the small patterned leaves only when they are dusty, using a soft damp cloth. During cleaning, inspect the undersides and the low stem, remove loose dead material and do not allow water to remain around the crown.
• Propagation: Divide a creeping section that already has roots, or place a stem section with at least one node on warm, lightly moist substrate. Lay the node on the substrate surface and cover only the roots that emerge from it.

Scorch, damaged new leaves and stem rot in Aglaonema pictum ‘Bicolor’

• Scorch: Bleached crisp patches on the exposed surface indicate direct sun or heat. Move the plant into filtered light; damaged tissue will not recover.
• Stuck or damaged new leaf: A folded blade can follow changing moisture or temperature while it developed. Check the enclosed surfaces for pests and use the new-leaf guide and let the folded blade open on its own.
• Stem-base rot: Soft dark tissue at the substrate line requires immediate attention. Trace the rot to a completely firm node before cutting or repotting, and keep every healthy rooted stem section available for recovery. Once the stem has been traced back to a fully firm node, cut back only to a firm node and root healthy material in fresh airy substrate if the roots cannot be saved.
• Pests: Examine the patterned undersides and new growth for thrips and spider mites, then check the nodes for mealybugs and scale.

Pet safety: Aglaonema pictum ‘Bicolor’

Aglaonema pictum ‘Bicolor’ 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 pictum received its name

Aglaonema is rendered as “shining stamen” from Greek aglaos, shining or splendid, and nema, thread or filament; Latin pictum means painted. William Roxburgh published the species as Calla picta on page 516 of volume 3 of Flora Indica in 1832. Carl Sigismund Kunth transferred it to Aglaonema on page 55 of volume 3 of Enumeratio Plantarum in 1841.