Family: Araceae

Chinese evergreen is an herbaceous plant.

Native to the Philippines, it is a low-maintenance evergreen species. The flowers are insignificant. The beauty is the green and creamy white mottled foliage. Chinese evergreen is an excellent house plant. It thrives in bright indirect light. Use well-drained peat soil and water regularly to keep your house plant healthy. Outside, it’s a good addition to shade gardens. It closely resembles Dieffenbachia (dumb cane).

Plant Uses:

• Container plant
• Indoor plant
• Ornamental

Plant Dangers:

• Toxic to humans

High Risk Traits:

• Naturalized on O'ahu
  
• Environmental Versatility: Tolerates a wide range of soils and some salt.
  
• Intentionally Introduced: Widely cultivated as an ornamental plant globally.
  
• Toxicity: All parts contain calcium oxalate crystals, harmful if ingested.
  
• Unpalatable: Deters grazing animals due to its toxicity.
  
• Disease Host: Susceptible to several significant fungi and viruses.
  
• Shade Tolerant: Can establish and grow in low-light, forest understory conditions.
  
• Bird-Dispersed: Produces berries that are likely consumed and dispersed by birds.

Low Risk Traits:

• No Structural Defenses: Lacks spines, thorns, or burrs.
  
• Not Allelopathic or Parasitic: Does not inhibit other plants or parasitize them.
  
• Low Reproduction: Produces a limited number of seeds and no persistent seed bank.
  
• No Vegetative Spread: Does not reproduce by fragmentation.
  
• Slow Growth: Has a long minimum generative time (several years to maturity).