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Aglaonema modestum
Also called Japanese Leaf
Chinese evergreen is a shade-loving, moisture-loving tropical houseplant with glossy lance-shaped leaves, grown mainly for its foliage. The key to success is bright shade, steady moisture, and protection from cold.
Aglaonema modestum, called Chinese evergreen, green-for-ten-thousand-years, and lily of China, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Aglaonema, native to Bangladesh, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and southeast and south-central China. In these areas, it is found in tropical swamps and rainforests.
It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
A. modestum is typically 30–90 cm (1–3 ft) tall and 60–120 cm (2–4 ft) wide. It occasionally produces white spathe-and-spadix flowers that give way to oval-shaped, reddish fruits that are 25–75 mm (1–3 in) long. Its lance-shaped leaves measure 200 mm × 100 mm (8 in × 4 in), and are borne on 300 mm (12 in) stalks that arise from a central growing point.
This plant contains calcium oxalate crystals which are poisonous to humans, dogs, cats, and horses. If ingested, it may cause severe burning and swelling in the mouth and tongue. Contact with the sap may also cause skin irritation.
Philippine evergreen · Chinese Evergreen · Malayan Sword · Chinese Evergreens
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Aglaonema modestum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.
