caladium
Caladium Vent.
A genus overview; characteristics vary between its species.
Caladium is a tropical American genus of tuberous herbs in the arum family. Some members remain evergreen, while others become seasonally dormant. Its flowering structures can appear with the leaves or before them, adding a separate stage to the cycle of growth. Kew POWO: CaladiumCATE Araceae genus description via Kew: Caladium
Botanical name
Caladium Vent. is an accepted genus in Araceae. The catalog remains genus-level without a cultivar or species assignment. Kew POWO: Caladium
Recognizing the plant
The plants arise from tuberous stems and carry several leaves on long stalks. Their blades are commonly arrow-shaped or heart-and-arrow-shaped, sometimes variegated, and usually attached to the stalk within the blade rather than at its edge. Caladiums also produce flowers, arranged densely on a spadix enclosed by a constricted spathe. Female flowers occupy the lower part of the spike, male flowers the upper part, with a zone of sterile flowers between them. The white upper part of the spathe withers after flowering, while its green lower tube persists around the developing white berries. CATE Araceae genus description via Kew: Caladium
Native range
Kew places the genus in Central and tropical South America. Its descriptive account includes humid forests, open woodland, river margins and other damp sites. Kew POWO: CaladiumCATE Araceae genus description via Kew: Caladium
Botanical sources
Reviewed 2026-10-11. Seasonal development varies with location and growing conditions.