PLANT CARE ( Caladium White | Heart of Jesus ) BUY NOW

	Temperature 65°-70°F (18°-22°C)
	Keep them shade space with no direct sunlight.
	Moderate indoor-humidity is required.
	Watering based on the soil surface.

ADDITIONAL CARE

Caladium White | Heart of Jesus require a medium light area with protection from the midday sun, which will scorch the leaves. A northern or eastern window is usually the best exposure. Humidity is crucial to Caladium houseplant care as the tubers are native to South American tropical forests and produce seasonal foliage during the rainy, warm season. Mimicking the plant’s native conditions is key to successfully introducing the plant to the home interior. Keeping the humidity high in a heated home may be done with misting and by placing a saucer filled with pebbles and water under the container.

Caladium /kəˈleɪdiəm/^[2] is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae. They are often known by the common name elephant ear (which they share with the closely related genera Alocasia, Colocasia, and Xanthosoma), heart of Jesus,^[3] and angel wings. There are over 1000 named cultivars of Caladium bicolor from the original South American plant.^[4]

The genus Caladium includes seven species that are native to South America and Central America, and naturalized in India, parts of Africa, and various tropical islands.^[1] They grow in open areas of the forest and on the banks of rivers and go dormant during the dry season. The wild plants grow to 15–35 inches (40–90 cm) tall, with leaves mostly 6-18 inches (15–45 cm) long and broad.^[5][6]

Etymology

From Malay Keladi, which refers to a few genera within the Araceae family (Alocasia, Caladium and Dieffenbachia). However, it may just specifically refer to the Colocasia genus.

Cultivation and uses

Several species are grown as ornamental plants for their large, arrowhead-shaped leaves marked in varying patterns in white, pink, and red (somewhat resembling the unrelated coleus) and have been in cultivation in Europe since the late 18th century. The two forms most widely cultivated are called “fancy-leaved” and “lance-leaved”. The former is the more commonly seen and is the traditional caladium of cultivation; the leaves are more heart-shaped. The latter has more lance-head-shaped leaves. Most Caladiums in cultivation grow to about 24 inches (60 cm) high and 24 inches (60 cm) wide, although dwarf varieties are now in cultivation.

Numerous cultivars have been selected, most of them derived from C. bicolor. Many are sold as C. × hortulanem, a synonym for C. bicolor.^[7][8] The lance-leaved varieties are also derived from C. schomburgkii.

Caladiums grow from tubers and can be propagated by dividing the tubers. They are hardy only to USDA plant hardiness zone 10; in colder areas, they are typically grown as tender “bulb“s or as houseplants.

During their growing season, they require moderate watering (damp, not soggy). Most varieties prefer partial to full shade, although sun-resistant varieties are now in cultivation. Approximately 98% of all caladium “bulbs” are from Lake Placid, Florida, in the United States. In recent years, many new varieties have become available through breeding and are now largely disease resistant. The bulk of “bulb” production is sold to pot producers, who in turn provide local nursery outlets with potted caladiums ready for immediate planting. Most “bulb” growers also sell direct retail via websites, shipping of “bulbs” takes place in the spring when temperatures permit (“bulbs” are subject to damage if temperatures are too low).

In temperate areas, they should be lifted before the first frost. The tubers are dried and stored for the winter when temperatures fall to 65 °F (18 °C), and stored moderately dry (not bone-dry) over the winter at temperatures between 56 °F (13 °C) and 61 °F (16 °C).

All parts of the plant are poisonous. They should not be ingested and may irritate sensitive skin.

Public displays

An annual festival is held during the last weekend of July in Lake Placid, Florida, home to a majority of the world’s caladium fields. A popular activity is a tour of the fields of caladiums, the product of local growers. Every July since 2003, Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee, Florida, has presented the Florida Caladium Showcase, the largest indoor and outdoor display of the plants, including new varieties. Many universities feature caladiums at field trials, you may also find displays at arboretums and many public gardens.

Caladiums are tubers, not corms or bulbs. A corm is a compressed mass of stem tissue with a basal plate (root tissue) at the bottom and one or more “eyes” on top from which vegetative growth and flowers will appear. A tuber is stem tissue with various eyes which may grow vegetative growth or roots.

Species

Many names have been proposed for species and varieties in the genus, but the vast majority of the names have either been transferred to other genera or regarded as synonyms of other names. The following are accepted:^[1][9]

1. Caladium andreanum Bogner – Colombia
2. Caladium bicolor (Aiton) Vent. – widespread from Costa Rica to northern Argentina; naturalized in India, Bangladesh, western and central Africa, and various islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans and in the Caribbean
3. Caladium clavatum Hett., Bogner & J.Boos – Napo region of Ecuador
4. Caladium coerulescens G.S.Bunting – Venezuela
5. Caladium humboldtii (Raf.) Schott – Guyana, Amazonas State of southern Venezuela, Amazonas State of western Brazil, Loreto region of eastern Peru
6. Caladium lindenii (André) Madison – Panama, Colombia
7. Caladium macrotites Schott – Colombia, Venezuela, northwestern Brazil
8. Caladium picturatum K.Koch & C.D.Bouché – Venezuela, northwestern Brazil
9. Caladium praetermissum Bogner & Hett. – range unknown
10. Caladium schomburgkii Schott – Venezuela, northwestern Brazil, the Guianas
11. Caladium smaragdinum K.Koch & C.D.Bouché – Venezuela
12. Caladium steyermarkii G.S.Bunting – Venezuela
13. Caladium ternatum Madison – Colombia, Amazonas State of western Brazil
14. Caladium tuberosum (S.Moore) Bogner & Mayo – Mato Grosso

Gallery

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  Caladium with white leaf and green veins at Courtallam

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  Plant canopy (Caladium bicolor ‘Florida Sweetheart’)

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  Leaf closeup (Caladium bicolor ‘Florida Sweetheart’)

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  Caladium bicolor ‘Florida Red Ruffles’

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  Caladium Fannie Munson

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  Bedding of Caladium Florida Sweetheart

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