Aglaonema ‘Red Dragon’

A red-leaved Aglaonema with an unknown pedigree

Aglaonema ‘Red Dragon’ is a cultivated selection grown for broad red leaves with green margins. Who bred it, which parents were used, and where or when it was selected remain unknown. Red-leaved Aglaonema commonly come from complex cultivated lines, and this cultivar cannot be traced securely to a particular species or natural forest habitat.

Care for broad-leaved Aglaonema ‘Red Dragon’

• 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: Its compact crown can hold dead material between the leaf bases, so remove loose debris carefully.
• 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.

Curled leaves and changing brown patches on Aglaonema ‘Red Dragon’

• Curled leaves: Check moisture through the root ball, recent temperature changes and the folded surfaces for pests. The leaf-curl guide helps separate these causes.
• Brown patches: A dry fixed area records old sun or handling damage. A soft patch that enlarges needs dry leaves, isolation and monitoring of its edge.

Pet safety: Aglaonema ‘Red Dragon’

Aglaonema ‘Red Dragon’ 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 Greek roots of the name Aglaonema

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.