Quick Overview
Dieffenbachia is evergreen plants and their leaves are
broad and pointed, with various combinations of green and white. Dieffenbachia
can grow to over a meter and half but Dieffenbachia houseplants do not tend to
reach such proportion. There are around 30 varieties of Dieffenbachia and they
are named after Joseph Dieffenbach, who was the head gardener at the Botanical
Gardens in Vienna in the 1800s. These plants are also known as ‘dumb cane’ as
the sap is poisonous and can cause temporary speech loss.
Care:
Light needs to be fairly constant. You also need to give
thought to humidity levels. Putting pebbles under the plant can help with this,
as can frequent misting. The plants need frequent watering and in the summer
months they should be watered regularly and the earth should not dry out. In
winter you don’t need to water as regularly. Don’t let the plant sit in the water
though.
Height: 4 to 5 inches
Temperature: 65 to 75 °F
Soil: high organic medium
Benefits :
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The plants have also been used as food, medicine,
stimulants, and to inflict punishment.
-
All parts of the plant have lots and lots of
microscope needle-shaped calcium oxalate crystals and when some unfortunate
animal (or person) chows down, they end up with a painful and swollen mouth.
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