Caladium

Zhanao Deng

Cherry Tart™ is an attractive lance-leaved caladium variety with a novel combination of leaf characteristics (including bright red color, slightly undulate leaf margins, and a broadly cordate leaf shape) (Figures 1 and 2; Deng and Harbaugh 2011). It was released in April 2011 by the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. In replicated field and greenhouse trials, tuber yield and pot plant quality were comparable or superior to 'Florida Red Ruffles' and 'Florida Sweetheart', currently the most popular red lance-leaved commercial variety and the most popular lance-leaved variety, respectively (Bell et al. 1998; Deng et al. 2008). Cherry Tart™ is well suited for producing pot plants and hanging baskets. Tuber de-eyeing produces fuller plants in small or medium containers (4–6 inches), but this practice is not required. Cherry Tart™ produces large numbers of bright red leaves and performs well in sunny and shady landscapes.

Zhanao Deng

Caladiums are valued in landscapes and containers for their colorful and variable-shaped leaves. Two types of caladium cultivars exist in commercial production: fancy- and lance-leaved. ‘Florida Sweetheart’ is the most popular lance-leaved commercial cultivar of all colors. It produces wide lance leaves with a rosy color and relatively large tubers. ‘Florida Red Ruffles’ is the most popular red, lance-leaved commercial cultivar among caladium growers, greenhouse growers, and nurseries. It has excellent sunburn tolerance. Both cultivars were introduced by the University of Florida (UF) caladium breeding program.

Zhanao Deng, Brent Harbaugh, Brent K. Harbaugh, R. K. Schoellhorn, yR. C. Andrews

Zhanao Deng

Many lance-leaved cultivars often produce small tubers, making it difficult for growers to produce tubers profitably. ‘Sizzle’ and ‘Passionista’ are two new lance-leaved caladium cultivars with improved tuber yield potential. The availability of ‘Sizzle’ and ‘Passionista’ may expand the color palette for caladium plants desired by greenhouse growers, nurseries, and gardeners. This fact sheet discusses the cultivars' tuber yield potential, container trials, landscape performance, growing recommendations, and availability.

Zhanao Deng

Zhanao Deng

Zhanao Deng, Brent Harbaugh, Brent K. Harbaugh, R. O. Kelly, T. Seijo, yRobert J. McGovern

Pythium root rot, caused by Pythium myriotylum (Ridings and Hartman 1976), is a very damaging disease to caladium plants (Caladium × hortulanum). Use of disease-resistant cultivars has been an effective and economically viable strategy for integrated management of major diseases in numerous crops. This strategy could be used to control pythium root rot in caladium if resistant cultivars could be identified or developed. In an evaluation of 19 major commercial cultivars, 'Candidum', 'Candidum Jr.', 'Freida Hemple', and 'White Christmas' were found to have moderate levesl of resistance to Pythium. To find more resistant cultivars, 23 additional commercial cultivars were screened using the same Pythium isolates, inoculation and evaluation procedures as described earlier (Deng et al. 2004).

Zhanao Deng and B. K. Harbaugh

Zhanao Deng, Brent Harbaugh, yBrent K. Harbaugh

Z. Deng

Zhanao Deng and Brent K. Harbaugh

Zhanao Deng

'Cranberry Star' has a unique combination of leaf and tuber characteristics that make it ideal for use as a potted plant or for growing as an accent or border plant in shady landscapes (Deng et al. 2008). 'Cranberry Star' produces bright white leaves with green veins, similar to the leaves of 'Candidum', one of the most popular caladium varieties. However, 'Cranberry Star' is distinct in that it has numerous bright purple spots on its leaves.

Zhanao Deng

'Strawberry Star' is a fancy-leaved variety with a primarily white leaf face and attractive red spots. It is similar to 'Marie Moir' in leaf color and coloration pattern but different from 'Marie Moir' in petiole color. Compared to 'Marie Moir', 'Strawberry Star' sprouts earlier, produces high-quality container plants, demonstrates better landscape performance, and yields more tubers. These improvements make 'Strawberry Star' a desirable replacement for 'Marie Moir' and an additional sun-tolerant variety for the landscape plant palette.

Edward F. Gilman, Ryan W. Klein, and Gail Hansen

This document provides an overview of Caladium x hortulanum, commonly known as caladium. It details the plant’s characteristics, including its arrow-shaped foliage, color variations, and growth habits. The document highlights caladium’s uses in landscaping, such as ground cover, edging, and container planting. It also covers planting guidelines, care instructions, and potential pest issues. Additionally, it mentions popular caladium cultivars and their distinctive features. Original publication date October 1999. 

Zhanao Deng, Natalia A. Peres, yJohan Desaeger

‘Lava Glow’ is a new and novel caladium cultivar that produces bright red to red-purple heart-shaped leaves with strong sunburn tolerance and is resistant to leaf spot diseases. This new 7-page publication of the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Department is prepared for growers who are interested in growing caladium as a horticultural crop and for greenhouse or nursery growers who are interested in producing potted caladium plants. Written by Zhanao Deng, Natalia A. Peres, and Johan Desaeger.

Zhanao Deng and Natalia A. Peres

Caladiums are ornamental aroids valued for their vibrant and morphologically diverse foliage. Grower surveys indicated that they planted more acres of lance-leaved cultivars in recent decades to accommodate rising consumer demand. The caladium breeding program at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center has been developing new lance-leaved cultivars that can produce attractive, robust plants with many bright, colorful leaves and improved tuber yield potential. The program has recently released two new lance-leaved cultivars. ‘Dots Delight’ is well suited for use in sunny landscapes, having excellent tolerance to sunburn and strong resistance to the leaf spot disease. Though they may need one to two additional weeks to produce potted plants, tuber yield potential is intermediate to high. ‘Wonderland’ is well suited for potted plant production in sunny or shady landscapes or gardens and has showed good leaf color display, sunburn tolerance, and leaf health.

Zhanao Deng, Natalia A. Peres, and Johan Desaeger

Caladium is an ornamental aroid valued for its variably shaped bright foliage. Two new lance-leaved cultivars, ‘Pink Panther’ and ‘Crimson Skye’, were released in 2020 by the UF/IFAS caladium breeding program to meet the need for more lance-leaved cultivars. This article is prepared for growers who are interested in growing caladium as a horticultural crop and for greenhouse or nursery growers who are interested in producing potted caladium plants.

Mengyi Gu yJohan Desaeger

Florida leads the commercial production of caladiums, a popular ornamental. In Florida, root-knot, sting, and stubby root nematodes are found in caladium fields. Root-knot nematodes are considered the most important of all pests in caladiums that are grown in sand. This publication will help caladium growers understand what plant-parasitic nematodes are and current nematode management strategies for the caladium industry.