Scientific/Botanical Name:
Genus: Dieffenbachia
Specie: D. picta
Variety/Cultivar:
English Name:
Common Name:
dumb cane, Dieffenbachia
Botanical Family:
Name in Latin: Araceae
Name in English: Arum Family
The Plant
Origin: Brazil
Growth Habit: herbaceous, perennial, upright, freely clumping
Flower: seldom flowers indoors and blooms are not showy. Spathe and spadix make up bloom
Blooming Period:
Leaf: elongated, oblong to broadly lance-shape- dark to glossy green
Usage:
House plant, Greenhouse, lasts for years
Care and Handling
Soil: good potting soil
Amount of water: Drench soil and let it become moderately dry between waterings.
Nutrition: every 2 weeks with a water soluble lime free fertilizer during spring and summer
Special handling: Chill sensitive. Does best in Bright indirect sun. Can cause skin irritation- handle with care.
Special feature/remarks:
Dumb cane derives from the crystalinne needle-like structures which numb the tongue and throat when ejected from cells. Do not keep around children.