Chinese Evergreen
Aglaonema commutatum · the Philippine Evergreen
It grows on the shaded floor of Southeast Asian rainforests, which is why it handles a dark corner better than almost any houseplant. Decades of Thai breeding then turned its plain silver-green leaf hot pink and red.
Family
Araceae
Origin
Tropical Asia
In the wild
Shaded forest floor
Indoors
30–45 cm
Growth
Slow
With pets
Toxic
Where it's from
The Philippines and Sulawesi
Shaded forest floor
Native to the Philippines and north-eastern Sulawesi; the wider genus ranges across tropical Asia.
Outdoors: zones 10b–12
Frost-tender. A landscape plant only in frost-free climates like South Florida and Hawaii.
A whole genus
The classic houseplant is A. commutatum; the modern colours are complex hybrids, not one species.
The plant they bred to bleed red
The plain green office Aglaonema and the hot-pink collector one are the same genus. Thai and Florida breeders spent decades selecting for colour the wild plant never carried, and for indoor toughness at the same time.
Ten years per colour
A single stable colour cultivar can take more than a decade of selection to fix.
Lipstick and camouflage
'Siam Aurora' and 'Red Siam' carry red edges; 'Pictum Tricolor' marbles three tones of green.
Colour needs light
The green forms take deep shade, but the red and pink cultivars want brighter light to hold colour.
How to keep it
LightPart to deep shade
Tolerates low light better than almost any houseplant. No direct sun. Coloured types want a little more light.
WaterKeep evenly moist
Moist spring to autumn, drier in winter but never bone dry. Soggy soil and rot is the main killer.
HumidityAverage is finePrefers humid air; dry air browns the leaf tips.
Temperature16–27°CCold-sensitive. Chilling damage can start near 15°C. Keep it warm in winter.
SoilPeaty, well-drained mixSlightly acidic, and free-draining.
FeedingLight, in summerA light feed in the growing season only.
DifficultyEasyA top beginner plant that tolerates neglect.
With petsToxicCalcium oxalate crystals. Oral pain, swelling, drooling and vomiting if chewed.
PropagationDivision or cuttingsMulti-stemmed and clumping, so a mature pot splits cleanly. Growth is slow.
RepottingEvery 2–3 yearsSlow-growing and likes being snug. Repot when root-bound.
What the data says
What it costs
One genus straddling both ends of the ladder: a big-box commodity and a collector plant at once.
$10–30
Green and silver
'Silver Queen' and 'Maria', in every store.
$30+
Pictum Tricolor
The camouflage grail, every leaf different.
$10–30Green and silver
$30+Pictum Tricolor
Hover the points. Green and silver types are commodities; the vivid Thai reds and Pictum Tricolor sit in the collector tier.
Decades of breeding
How long it takes to fix one new colour the wild plant never had.
10+ yrs
for a single stable cultivar. Thai and Florida programmes spent decades turning a plain silver-green leaf hot pink and red, which makes this 'boring office plant' one of the most intensively bred foliage genera there is.
IUCN · Least Concern
In the wild
The inverse of a smuggling crisis: secure in trade, while its forest homeland shrinks.
The houseplant species are not threatened, and the genus is widely grown and secure. The real pressure is deforestation in the Southeast Asian forests the wild species grow in, not collection of the houseplant types.
When it sulks
Dark, greasy patchesCold or chilling injury. Move it somewhere warmer, away from cold glass.
Mushy stems, yellowingOverwatering and rot. Let it dry more and check drainage.
Brown leaf tipsDry air or a draughty spot. Raise the humidity.
Faded colour on red typesToo little light. Give brighter indirect light.
PestsAphids, mealybugs, spider mites and scale. Wipe the leaves, treat early.
Varieties & company
The varieties
Silver QueenMariaSiam AuroraRed SiamPictum Tricolor
Pairs with · keep apart from
PothosPhilodendronPeace LilyCalatheaSnake PlantCactiSucculents
A new plant, every week.
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