Aglaonema pictum ‘Bicolor’

Cultivated form and natural range of Aglaonema pictum ‘Bicolor’

‘Bicolor’ is a two-tone cultivated form of Aglaonema pictum. The species is native to Sumatra, including Nias, and grows in wet tropical habitat.

Care for Aglaonema pictum ‘Bicolor’

• Light: Give it bright indirect light without direct sun on the patterned leaves.
• Temperature: Keep the plant between about 18 and 24 °C during normal growth, with protection from sustained temperatures below 15 °C.
• Feeding: Feed lightly while new leaves are developing and reduce feeding when growth slows.
• Repotting: Keep pot increases small. Move up only when the roots need more room so excess wet mix does not surround a small root system.
• Humidity and airflow: Keep humidity around 60–80% with gentle air movement around the patterned foliage.
• Water and potting mix: Let roughly the upper third of the root ball lose moisture before rewatering. Use a very open potting mix that can still take up and hold enough water to rewet the roots evenly.
• Propagation: Use a rooted shoot from the base, or take a healthy stem section and root it separately.

Troubleshooting Aglaonema pictum ‘Bicolor’

• Crisp margins: Crisp margins together with a dry root ball or very dry heated air point toward moisture stress. Rehydrate evenly and stabilise humidity; if the root ball has stayed evenly moist, consider fertiliser-salt build-up and flush the mix with plain water.
• Yellowing or soft stem base: Yellowing with persistently wet substrate or a soft stem base suggests root or stem stress from excess moisture. Improve aeration and inspect for soft dark roots if the plant keeps declining; remove only decayed roots and repot in fresh airy mix if decay is confirmed.
• Smaller leaves and wider gaps: Low usable light or unhealthy roots can both reduce leaf size and increase the spacing along the stem. If the plant is sitting too dark, acclimatise it to a brighter indirect position. With adequate light, check whether roots are tightly packed, the substrate has collapsed, or any roots are genuinely soft and decayed. Repot tightly packed roots into a roomier container or replace collapsed substrate with fresh airy mix. When root damage is confirmed, retain firm roots, remove only roots that are soft, hollow, slippery or foul-smelling, and repot the viable roots into fresh airy mix when needed. Complete the matching correction before feeding normally again.
• Thrips or spider mites: The camouflage pattern can conceal pest feeding. Silvery scars with black specks indicate thrips, while fine pale stippling with webbing indicates spider mites; distorted growth alone does not confirm either pest. If you see these signs, isolate the plant and inspect both leaf surfaces. If you confirm thrips or spider mites, rinse hardened foliage and apply a treatment labelled for the confirmed pest to both leaf surfaces and the folded growth, repeating it at the intervals stated on the label for the full course.

Aglaonema pictum ‘Bicolor’ is toxic to people and pets

• Keep this plant away from children, cats and dogs.
• Its leaves and stems contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which can irritate the mouth, throat, skin and eyes.
• Chewing may cause burning pain, drooling, swelling, vomiting or difficulty swallowing. Contact a veterinarian or medical professional after exposure, especially if swelling or breathing problems occur.

How the name Aglaonema pictum came about

Aglaonema combines Greek aglaos, meaning shining or splendid, with nema, meaning thread or filament. The epithet pictum is Latin for painted, referring to the patterned leaves.

Heinrich Wilhelm Schott established the genus Aglaonema in 1829 in Wiener Zeitschrift für Kunst, Literatur, Theater und Mode, volume 1829, page 892.

William Roxburgh first described it as Calla picta in 1832 in Flora Indica, 1832 edition, volume 3, page 516. Karl Sigismund Kunth later placed it in Aglaonema as Aglaonema pictum in 1841 in Enumeratio Plantarum, volume 3, page 55.