# Caladium
**Caladium** is a genus of tuberous plants in the arum family (Araceae) grown for their large, thin, heart- or arrow-shaped leaves patterned in pink, red, white, and green, which are more colorful than their inconspicuous flowers. The cultivated caladiums sold as ornamentals are mostly hybrids involving *Caladium bicolor* (Aiton) Vent., a tuberous geophyte native from [Central America](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-america) to northern Argentina that grows in the wet tropical biome.[1](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/30010088-2) The plants grow from tubers (commonly called bulbs), thrive in summer heat and shade, and are used in containers, hanging baskets, borders, and shade gardens.[2](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP223) • [3](https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/caladiums/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Family and habit | Araceae; tuberous geophyte grown as a tender foliage plant for shade and summer heat[1](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/30010088-2) • [2](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP223) |
| Native range | *Caladium bicolor* is native from Central America to Argentina (Salta); the genus originated in the New World tropics[1](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/30010088-2) • [2](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP223) |
| Commercial production | Over 1,200 acres of Florida land are planted with caladiums, mostly in the Highlands County area; Florida growers produce essentially all the tubers used in the United States and the world[3](https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/caladiums/) • [4](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP611) |
| Leaf types | Fancy-leaved (broad) and lance-leaved (narrow) cultivars; most commercial cultivars are fancy-leaved, but demand for lance-leaved types has been rising[4](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP611) |
| Planting temperature | Tubers are planted in soil at least 60–70 °F[3](https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/caladiums/) |
| Dormancy storage | Dormant tubers are kept at 55–60 °F through winter; container plants should never fall below 55 °F[5](https://www.homesandgardens.com/gardens/how-to-overwinter-caladiums) • [6](https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/caladiums/) |
| Main diseases | Fusarium tuber rot (*Fusarium solani*), Pythium root rot (*Pythium myriotylum*), and Xanthomonas bacterial leaf blight[7](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP633) • [8](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP259) |
## Description and classification
Caladiums are tropical foliage plants in the tribe Caladieae of the Araceae. The genus *Caladium* Vent. is conserved (nom. cons.) with a conserved type, and its synonyms include the former genera *Aphyllarum* and *Phyllotaenium*.[9](https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomygenus?id=1858) *Caladium bicolor*, first published in 1800, is an accepted species with 158 synonyms recorded, reflecting the many names given to cultivated variants during the nineteenth century.[1](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/30010088-2)
The ornamental crop is usually treated as *Caladium × hortulanum*, a hybrid complex. *Caladium bicolor* and *Caladium picturatum* are regarded as the two principal breeding parents, the former the ancestor of broad-leaved (fancy) types and the latter of narrow-leaved (lance) types.[10](https://kmweb.moa.gov.tw/subject/subject.php?id=26223&print=Y) Leaves are thin, unlike the thick leaves of the related elephant ears (*[Alocasia](https://www.edgepedia.org/alocasia)*, *Colocasia*, and *[Xanthosoma](https://www.edgepedia.org/xanthosoma)*), and carry speckles, streaks, or splashes of pink, red, white, and green.[11](https://extension.psu.edu/caladiums-for-the-home-garden) The genus shows a diversity of leaf shapes, colors, and vein patterns rarely found in other cultivated plants.[2](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP223)
## History and commercial production
The first organized caladium breeding began in France in the 1860s under the nurseryman Louis Van Houtte (1810–1876) and [Alfred Blue](https://www.edgepedia.org/alfred-blue); a German breeder working in Brazil, Adolph Leitze, later exhibited a collection of 400 selections. Breeding efforts in Florida began a decade after the French work, and after World War II the area around Lake Placid, Florida became the center of world caladium production.[12](https://www.uaex.uada.edu/yard-garden/resource-library/plant-week/Caladium-Candidum-08-18-2017.aspx)
Today over 1,200 acres of Florida land are planted with caladiums for commercial production, most of it in the Highlands County area.[3](https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/caladiums/) Florida growers produce essentially all the caladium tubers used in the United States and the world for pot-plant production and landscape planting.[4](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP611)
## Breeding
The [University of Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-florida)'s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) initiated a caladium breeding program in 1976 at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center; it has been the only major organized caladium breeding program in the world. Its objectives included bright colorful leaves, high tuber yield, short sturdy petioles, multi-eyed tubers, and elimination of the costly labor of tuber de-eyeing (excising buds to improve leaf display). Hybridization and selection on muck and sandy soils produced 13 new cultivars between 1988 and 2001, grouped into 8 categories by leaf shape and primary color.[2](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP223)
**Recent releases.** The program has continued: 'Tapestry', a pink fancy-leaved cultivar, was released as UF-172 in October 2010 and outperformed 'Carolyn Whorton', 'Fannie Munson', and 'White Queen' as a pot and landscape plant.[13](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP444) The lance-leaved cultivars 'Pink Panther' and 'Crimson Skye' were released in 2020 to meet rising demand; in field trials their marketable tuber weight (about 4 pounds per plot) and production index significantly exceeded the standards 'Fairytale Princess' and 'Red Hot' and matched the high-yielding 'Florida Sweetheart'.[4](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP611) 'Lava Glow', a red fancy-leaved cultivar, scored 4 or 5 on a 1-to-5 scale for plant growth, leaf color, and sunburn tolerance in full-sun grower trials from July to October 2019.[7](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP633)
## Diseases and pests
Diseases are the main biotic limitation on caladium tuber yield and quality. Fusarium tuber rot, caused by *Fusarium solani*, is a major postharvest disease, and the majority of commercial cultivars are susceptible; preliminary inoculation tests showed 'Lava Glow' less susceptible than the susceptible cultivars 'Carolyn Whorton' and 'Postman Joyner'.[7](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP633) Pythium root rot, caused by *Pythium myriotylum*, is very damaging; in screening studies, 35 of 42 cultivars evaluated were susceptible or very susceptible, and the observed resistance appears to be quantitatively inherited.[8](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP259) Breeding for resistance to Fusarium tuber rot, Pythium root rot, and [Xanthomonas](https://www.edgepedia.org/xanthomonas) leaf spot has been a focus of the Florida program.[14](https://www.actahort.org/books/886/886_7.htm)
Root-knot nematodes (*Meloidogyne* spp.) are another concern. There is no known root-knot nematode resistance in caladium, and all seven widely grown cultivars tested were susceptible to galling by all five species tested (*M. arenaria*, *M. enterolobii*, *M. floridensis*, *M. incognita*, and *M. javanica*), with *M. javanica* causing the least severe galling and *M. enterolobii* producing the highest egg counts, up to 14,799 eggs per gram of fresh root on 'Freida Hemple'. Tubers can be infested while remaining symptomless or showing only corky lesions.[15](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5770294/)
## Cultivation
Caladiums grow well in warm, humid conditions and bring color to shady areas from spring through fall. Tubers are planted in soil at least 60–70 °F, and plants are used in hanging baskets, containers, borders, and as accents; some cultivars tolerate sun.[3](https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/caladiums/) They are heavy feeders and need regular fertilization during the growing season, especially in containers.[6](https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/caladiums/)
**Dormancy and overwintering.** Caladiums are tender perennials that enter dormancy, with leaves dying back, even indoors after a few months in leaf. When leaves die back, watering is stopped; container plants can be left undisturbed in their pots in bright or dark conditions at temperatures that never fall below 55 °F, and watering resumes when new growth appears in spring.[6](https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/caladiums/) Lifted tubers are stored in a cool, dry place at 55–60 °F, checked monthly for rot, and planted outdoors after the last spring frost.[5](https://www.homesandgardens.com/gardens/how-to-overwinter-caladiums) In colder climates, tubers can be started indoors 4 to 6 weeks before the average last frost date.[16](https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/planting-and-caring-tender-perennials) Tuber rot in storage or after planting usually occurs under cool conditions and is generally avoided by proper storage and planting practice; leaf burn on strap-leaved cultivars typically comes from too much sun, insufficient water, or fertilizer sitting on the leaves.[6](https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/caladiums/)
## References
1. [Caladium bicolor (Aiton) Vent., Plants of the World Online, Kew Science](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/30010088-2)
2. [Zhanao Deng and Brent Harbaugh. Caladium Cultivars Developed at the UF/IFAS, ENH 965/EP223, UF/IFAS Extension](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP223)
3. [Caladiums, Gardening Solutions, UF/IFAS](https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/plants/ornamentals/caladiums/)
4. [Zhanao Deng, Natalia A. Peres, and Johan Desaeger. Caladium Cultivars 'Pink Panther' and 'Crimson Skye', ENH1347/EP611, UF/IFAS Extension](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP611)
5. [Early November Is Your Last Chance to Overwinter Caladiums, Homes & Gardens](https://www.homesandgardens.com/gardens/how-to-overwinter-caladiums)
6. [Caladiums, Wisconsin Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension](https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/caladiums/)
7. ['Lava Glow'—A New Red Fancy-Leaved Caladium Cultivar, ENH1369/EP633, UF/IFAS Extension](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP633)
8. [Screening for Resistance to Pythium Root Rot among Twenty-three Caladium Cultivars, ENH1008/EP259, UF/IFAS Extension](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP259)
9. [Genus Caladium Vent., GRIN-Global Taxonomy, USDA ARS](https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomygenus?id=1858)
10. [彩葉芋主題館, Taiwan Ministry of Agriculture knowledge web](https://kmweb.moa.gov.tw/subject/subject.php?id=26223&print=Y)
11. [Caladiums for the Home Garden, Penn State Extension](https://extension.psu.edu/caladiums-for-the-home-garden)
12. [Caladium Candidum, Plant of the Week, University of Arkansas Extension](https://www.uaex.uada.edu/yard-garden/resource-library/plant-week/Caladium-Candidum-08-18-2017.aspx)
13. [Tapestry™—A Pink Fancy-Leaved Caladium Variety for Containers and Landscapes, ENH1183/EP444, UF/IFAS Extension](https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP444)
14. [Improving Disease Resistance in Caladium: Progress and Prospects, Acta Horticulturae 886](https://www.actahort.org/books/886/886_7.htm)
15. [Susceptibility of Seven Caladium (Caladium × hortulanum) Cultivars to Meloidogyne arenaria, M. enterolobii, M. floridensis, M. incognita, and M. javanica, Journal of Nematology (PMC)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5770294/)
16. [Planting and Caring for Tender Perennials, Iowa State University Extension Yard and Garden](https://yardandgarden.extension.iastate.edu/how-to/planting-and-caring-tender-perennials)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Plants and algae › Seed plants › Monocots › Sedges and other monocot families › Araceae (arum family)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license