# Caladiums



## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

Figured I'd bring up a group of plants I haven't heard about in a while... there have typically been few Caladiums that even fit in a terrarium since they tend to get 2'+ and have an annoying dormancy thing, but I figured with some of the crazy new Thai forms that seem to be popping up as possible terrarium plants I'd get a thread going. Some of them are small enough to use in some of my vivs, and I want to know the good and the bad!

Are Caladiums good in terrariums? Do they need a dormancy period? Basically I wanna know why they aren't used more often like their Alocasia/Colocasia relatives!


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## candm519 (Oct 15, 2006)

I've had C. humboldti, touted to be the miniature of the family, but it grew all too happily in my 20 long terrarium, and soon was too tall and shaded too much. I never noticed a dormancy period, but I was also changing up its life by periodic severe pruning; once I cut it to the ground, and it still came back -- but had the cute perfect sized baby leaves I was looking for. For a while.
I want to know more about these new ones, Corey!


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## dom (Sep 23, 2007)

ive had some in my viv for a about 5 month.. doing really nice and not getting that tall


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## Anoleo2 (Feb 1, 2006)

I also have C. humboldii. I have it in a 20 high vert, and it's about 3/4 of the tank tall. It grows very fast for me and I have to trim it often when it gets out of hand... I've had leaves get as big as 4.5 inches long and at least 3 inches wide. At that point, I trim them!  
It hasn't gone into a dormancy for me.


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## harrywitmore (Feb 9, 2004)

I think the larger the bulb gets the larger the leaves will get. So, over time I suspect most will outgrow most vivs. C humboldii is the smallest I have seen. I have another small species. Not sure of the name but it's a nice one. Here's a lousy picture.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

Ok, adding that to my wanted list from Harry. LOL.

Some interesting things I've run across... C. humboldtii is the "dwarf" one, and being from Thailand tends to have the smaller tubers meaning smaller plants than most of the fancy ones we're used to seeing in gardens. There is a "mini white" or "dwarf white" form that floated around for a few years ago... and I thought there was a tissue culture super tiny form whose name escapes me. I know that the latest Thai form (Pha Ya Sa Vette) is a small form similar (or possibly identical) to the mini white form.

The new Thai caladiums have me interested (available from BJ but not with their names - grrr) and some are small enough to be comparable to C. humboldtii. They can be a nice flash of color, great especially for those who can't get the neos to color up and fittonia is too small. Problem is they can get $$$ since these are all newly imported varieties... and after not seeing caladiums around for a while I got worried.


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## Corpus Callosum (Apr 7, 2007)

I still don't get why they're labeled as Thai just because they were grown/cultivated there, when all Caladiums originate from Central & South America (from what I've read). But I guess that's how it works in the plant trade.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

They are being called Thai Caladiums because they are all cultivars developed in Thailand which are distinctly different from the American hybrids... the american ones tend to be bigger bicolor hybrids, where the Thai ones seem to be smaller but pack way more color (characteristic of the Caladium and Aglomenea hybrids coming out of that country). If it's a Thai Caladium, you know it won't have as massive leaves, but the colors will be nuts. I just wish people would stick to their names for less confusion rather than calling them something different (like the introduced thai beauty or numbers).


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## candm519 (Oct 15, 2006)

When I looked up KeroKero's Thai Caladiums, they looked totally gorgeous, so I got some last spring, from two sources.










Some needed repotting immediately.
The two 'stained blackleaf' ones looked different in the photos from different companies, but I believe they are the same.
I started them in a 20long terrarium which offered 10" or 11" growing height. 
They seemed happy with semi-open terrarium humidity, under fixed fluorescents, and all grew more leaves.
I gave the largest ones to my sister when they were crowding me. By early September, her leaves were large, wavy, and angling upward. The stems however (from top of the soil) measured only 8 or 9 inches long.










The smaller caladiums grew as tall in my tank but the leaves stayed horizontal and rather flat, reminding me of trillium.










When I put them outside in mid August, they did angle their leaves to reach for real light.










Note the unique growth pattern of the pink plant on right; the stems radiate outward from the center. The rest of the plants I started with grew upward, and appeared to be self-limiting in height. The broad leaves do create a lot of shade.

Some Thai Caladiums are available from 
Black Jungle,
Asiatica Nursery,
and if you want a whole bunch, check out 
NeoFarm Thailand;
http://www.neofarmthailand.com/index.php?lay=show&ac=article&Id=126319&Ntype=6


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## SeaDuck (Nov 8, 2006)

There is one darling mini called Caladium humboltii 'Marcel'. It never gets bigger than three inches! It is an accident from tissue culture and cannot be propagated except by division. After years of trying to find it I am now growing it and slowly propagating it. Attached is a photo of it growing in our 125 and that is Selaginella in the top of the picture. (I wish I could rename the photo in my gallery appropriately.) Cheers, Robert

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/gallery/data/500/0031.jpg


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## candm519 (Oct 15, 2006)

SeaDuck, that is a real winner! Put me on your list...


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## Jeremiah (Mar 1, 2008)

Ann,
Their gorgous! I gotta get me some for my future tanks.


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## Corpus Callosum (Apr 7, 2007)

Anne, the flat one is stunning.


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## candm519 (Oct 15, 2006)

That 'flat red one' is one of the tiny ones, front row left, in my first picture. ("Neo 114") And once I put it outside, the flat leaves grew bigger, curved, firmed, brightened, and shinied up.










Since I had to move all 5 plants outside because of lack of room inside, we still don't know if Thai tubers take resting periods even grown under fluorescents.
I'm planning, if/when leaves wilt outside, to call that a rest, bring the tubers back in to moist sphagnum and see if they recognize the eternal spring of fluorescents to rise again. This might give a hint.
My sister, who has had her three outside for most of the summer, will overwinter them (left in the pot) in her nonfreezing garage, the more traditional (if slightly lazier) method common for the larger caladiums.


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