Aglaonema
Encyclopedia
Aglaonema is a genus of about 40 species of foliage plants in the family Araceae
, native to the tropical swamp
s and rainforest
s of southeastern Asia
, from Bangladesh
east to the Philippines
, and north to southern China
. No common name is widely used, though they are sometimes called "Chinese Evergreens".
They are herbaceous
perennial plant
s growing to 20-150 cm in height. The leaves
are alternate on the stems, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, dark to medium green, 10-45 cm long and 4-16 cm broad, depending on the species. The flower
s are relatively inconspicuous, white or greenish-white spathes that can give way to red berries
.
The sap of this plant is poisonous to health. It causes skin irritation. If ingested, the sap causes irritation of the mouth, lips, throat and tongue.
s and ornamental plant
s for office
s and shopping mall
s because they are among the easiest houseplants to grow. Numerous cultivar
s have been selected, including plants with variegated
leaves. They tolerate a wide range of light, as well as neglect, and are relatively resistant to pests. Aglaonema flourish for years.
They prefer indirect light and partial shade. They do best in shadow-less light, such as a north window. They prefer heavy soil, which should be kept moist but not soggy. They do not tolerate the cold; they should not be exposed to temperatures below 10°C (50°F), with optimal growing conditions between 20°C (68°F) and 30°C (86°F). High air humidity
is also important. They are easy to propagate
from cuttings, which will root in a glass of water, or from divisions.
Araceae
Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe or leaf-like bract. Also known as the Arum family, members are often colloquially...
, native to the tropical swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s and rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
s of southeastern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, from Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
east to the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, and north to southern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. No common name is widely used, though they are sometimes called "Chinese Evergreens".
They are herbaceous
Herbaceous
A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...
perennial plant
Perennial plant
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...
s growing to 20-150 cm in height. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are alternate on the stems, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, dark to medium green, 10-45 cm long and 4-16 cm broad, depending on the species. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are relatively inconspicuous, white or greenish-white spathes that can give way to red berries
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
.
The sap of this plant is poisonous to health. It causes skin irritation. If ingested, the sap causes irritation of the mouth, lips, throat and tongue.
Cultivation and uses
They are popular houseplantHouseplant
A houseplant is a plant that is grown indoors in places such as residences and offices. Houseplants are commonly grown for decorative purposes, positive psychological effects, or health reasons such as indoor air purification...
s and ornamental plant
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
s for office
Office
An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...
s and shopping mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
s because they are among the easiest houseplants to grow. Numerous cultivar
Cultivar
A cultivar'Cultivar has two meanings as explained under Formal definition. When used in reference to a taxon, the word does not apply to an individual plant but to all those plants sharing the unique characteristics that define the cultivar. is a plant or group of plants selected for desirable...
s have been selected, including plants with variegated
Variegation
Variegation is the appearance of differently coloured zones in the leaves, and sometimes the stems, of plants. This may be due to a number of causes...
leaves. They tolerate a wide range of light, as well as neglect, and are relatively resistant to pests. Aglaonema flourish for years.
They prefer indirect light and partial shade. They do best in shadow-less light, such as a north window. They prefer heavy soil, which should be kept moist but not soggy. They do not tolerate the cold; they should not be exposed to temperatures below 10°C (50°F), with optimal growing conditions between 20°C (68°F) and 30°C (86°F). High air humidity
Humidity
Humidity is a term for the amount of water vapor in the air, and can refer to any one of several measurements of humidity. Formally, humid air is not "moist air" but a mixture of water vapor and other constituents of air, and humidity is defined in terms of the water content of this mixture,...
is also important. They are easy to propagate
Plant propagation
Plant propagation is the process of creating new plants from a variety of sources: seeds, cuttings, bulbs and other plant parts. Plant propagation can also refer to the artificial or natural dispersal of plants.-Sexual propagation :...
from cuttings, which will root in a glass of water, or from divisions.
Selected species
- Aglaonema acutispathum
- Aglaonema brevispathum
- Aglaonema commutatum
- Aglaonema costatum
- Aglaonema crispum
- Aglaonema flemingianum
- Aglaonema fumeum
- Aglaonema hookerianum
- Aglaonema modestum
- Aglaonema nebulosum
- Aglaonema nitidum
- Aglaonema oblongifolium
- Aglaonema pictum
- Aglaonema roebelinii
- Aglaonema rotundum
- Aglaonema siamense
- Aglaonema simplex