Houseplant · Araceae
Chinese Evergreen
Aglaonema commutatum
Forgiving, shade-friendly, and thriving in a warm room, Chinese evergreen turns the trickiest corner of a home into a winner.
Bright indirect
60–80°F · 16–27°C
USDA 10–12
12–20 in · 30–51 cm
Overview
Chinese evergreen earns its keep, and then some. It sits in the arum family and hails from the shaded, humid forest floors of the Philippines and Sulawesi, growing where light stays soft and the air runs warm and damp. That heritage is exactly what powers it through the dim corners and steady warmth of a regular home, so it keeps growing where pickier plants stall.
The foliage is what pulls you in. Leaves come marbled, streaked, and splashed in silver, green, cream, and deep red, and the cultivar you grab sets the light it craves. The solid-green forms charge ahead in the darkest spots, while the red and heavily variegated types light up and hold their color when you hand them brighter indirect light.
It stays compact, usually 12 to 20 inches (30 to 51 cm) tall, and builds at a steady, unhurried pace that's satisfying to watch fill in. Keep it warm, water with a light touch, and it powers along on almost nothing. One thing to flag before you place it: every part is toxic to pets and irritating to people, so set it somewhere safely out of reach.
Care
The short version: bright indirect light keeps the colorful types vivid while green ones thrive in low light, water once the surface inch or two dries out, hold it warm above 60°F (16°C), and feed sparingly.
Light
Hand the colorful and variegated cultivars bright indirect light and they'll keep every one of their markings. The plain green types break the rule, powering along in low light and even deep shade. Keep all of them clear of direct sun, which scorches the leaves.
Water
Let the top 1 to 2 inches (about 3 to 5 cm) of soil dry out, then water, keeping the mix lightly moist from spring through fall. Pull back from early fall to late winter, but never let it go bone dry. Pour room-temperature water, not cold, since cold shocks the roots, and keep this front of mind: soggy soil is what triggers root rot.
Soil
Pot it in a well-drained peaty or soilless mix loaded with extra humus, in a container with drainage holes. It thrives in slightly acidic soil, with a pH at or below 6.0.
Temperature
Keep it warm, ideally 68°F to 80°F (20°C to 27°C), where it really takes off. It hangs on down to about 55°F (13°C) but takes chilling damage below 50°F (10°C), so hold a 60°F (16°C) minimum in winter and steer it clear of cold drafts.
Humidity
Average household humidity keeps it cruising, so there's no number to chase. Just dodge very dry air, which browns the leaf tips over time.
Feeding
Feed lightly through the spring-to-fall growing season and call it good. Overfeeding scorches the leaf edges, so when you're unsure, give less.
Pruning
There's barely anything to it beyond pinching off spent flowers and any fruit so the plant throws its energy into leaves. Age stretches it leggy, and if the lower leaves drop, cut off the bare top and re-root it for a whole new plant.
Repotting
Repot only when it outgrows its pot or the soil breaks down, which is rare. Roots circling the surface or pushing out the drainage holes, or a top-heavy, leggy shape, signal it's go time.
Size & spacing
Count on a compact plant, 12 to 20 inches (30 to 51 cm) tall and 12 to 18 inches (30 to 46 cm) across. Give it enough room for air to move freely around the leaves.
Troubleshooting
Nearly every Chinese evergreen hiccup tracks back to water or warmth, popping up at the roots or along the leaf edges. Match what you spot below to the cause, jump on it, and the plant bounces right back.
Mushy stem bases and leaves turning yellow
This is root rot, and it almost always traces back to soil that stays too wet. Once the roots turn brown and slimy they stop drinking, so the plant wilts even while it drowns. Pop it out, slice away the rotted roots, and replant in fresh well-drained mix in a pot that really drains, and it can rebuild from there.
Fix:
- Stop watering and let the soil dry appropriately
- Unpot and remove rotted roots; repot into fresh well-drained mix
- Ensure the container has working drainage holes
Leaves curling and blotching after a cold snap
Chinese evergreen is a tropical grower and takes chilling damage below about 50°F (10°C), with discoloration and curling that surface after the fact. A cold draft or a drink of cold tap water pulls the same trick. Whisk it to a warm spot in the 68°F to 80°F (20°C to 27°C) range and keep it well above 55°F (13°C) from there on.
Fix:
- Move the plant to a warmer spot in the preferred 68-80°F range
- Keep above 60°F, ideally well above 55°F
- Avoid cold drafts and use room-temperature water
Sticky bumps, webbing, and cottony tufts on stems and leaves
Three usual-suspect pests turn up here. Fine webbing with stippled leaves flags spider mites, white cottony tufts in the leaf joints mean mealybugs, and small brown limpet-like bumps are scale. Wipe or wash them off, pull the plant aside from the rest, and hit it with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, repeating until they clear out.
Fix:
- Wipe off or wash off pests; isolate the affected plant
- Treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, repeating as needed
- Raise humidity to discourage spider mites
Crisping brown tips racing along the leaf margins
Nine times out of ten this is dry air, though a cold draft or a heavy hand with fertilizer scorches the edges the same way. Shift the plant off the vents and away from chilly windows, dial back the feeding, and snip the worst tips to sharpen its look. A bright green center tells you the roots are humming along fine.
Fix:
- Move the plant away from drafts, heating/AC vents, and cold windows
- Raise ambient humidity or avoid very dry air
- Flush the soil and reduce fertilizer if over-fed
- Trim off badly browned tips for appearance
Variegated and red foliage bleaching out and reaching in dim light
The colored and variegated cultivars crave more light than people expect, and in a dark corner they shed their markings and stretch toward the window. Solid-green types power through low light without a fuss, so this comes down to a matching problem. Slide the colorful ones into brighter indirect light and let the plain green forms own the deepest shade.
Fix:
- Move variegated and red cultivars to brighter indirect (low-to-moderate) light
- Keep solid-green cultivars for the darkest spots
- Avoid direct sun, which scorches foliage
Toxicity
Place this one up and out of reach, no debate. Every part packs insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, so a chewed leaf delivers intense burning, swelling, and drooling to pets, livestock, and people alike. Nothing on it is safe to eat, and the sap can irritate skin, so wash your hands the moment you've handled it.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Moderate
A cat that nibbles a leaf gets a burning jolt in the mouth right away, quickly followed by drooling, pawing at the face, and possibly vomiting. Its tongue and lips can swell up and make swallowing hard.
Dogs Moderate
One chew and the crystals sting a dog at once, driving hard drooling, pawing at its mouth, and vomiting. Watch for its tongue and throat swelling soon after.
Horses Moderate
Chewing hits a horse with fierce mouth burning, a swollen tongue and mouth, and nonstop drooling. Horses have no way to vomit, so irritation and hard swallowing are the giveaways.
Rabbits Toxic
The very same calcium oxalate crystals fire up the lining of a rabbit's mouth and gut, so expect drooling and a lost appetite. Keep this one far from a rabbit's reach.
Livestock Toxic
Browsing goats, cattle, and sheep get a scorched, swollen mouth and drool hard, and they quickly quit after the first stinging bite.
Birds Toxic
A pet bird pecking the leaves runs into the same mouth burning and irritation. Since birds weigh so little, even a nibble is reason to phone the vet.
People Caution
Skip eating any part of it. A chewed leaf lights up the mouth and can swell its tongue and lips, and the sap can irritate skin, so wash up well after handling and keep it clear of young children.
All parts contain calcium oxalate crystals and sap can cause skin/mucous-membrane irritation in people; wash hands after handling and keep away from pets and young children
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Chinese evergreen rolls out under dozens of cultivar names, grouped mostly by leaf color and the light each one chases. These are the standouts you'll bump into most.
'Maria'
Dark green leaves streaked with silver make it a standout, and as one of the more shade tolerant cultivars it powers through a dim corner.
'Silver Bay'
Green foliage washed with silver variegation down the center of each leaf gives it a clean, bright look.
'Siam Aurora' (also sold as 'Red Aglaonema')
Deep crimson blazes along the veins and edges, a colorful type that wants brighter indirect light than the plain green forms.
'Silver Queen'
Dark green leaves carry heavy silver-gray variegation across most of the surface for serious visual punch.
'Crete'
Green leaves splashed and edged in burgundy red, set off by pale pink stems, deliver a cheerful jolt of color.
How to propagate
Pumping out more Chinese evergreens is a breeze, and the perfect window opens right when you repot or when an older plant stretches out and goes leggy.
DivisionEasy
Spring at repotting · Several weeks
The fastest way to multiply it is to split a plant you already grow. At spring repotting, pry the clump into sections that each carry their own roots, pot them up, and they take hold over the next few weeks.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Spring to summer · Several weeks to root
When an old plant stretches leggy and drops its lower leaves, don't bin it. Lop off the bare top in spring or summer and re-root it, and within a few weeks it fires out new roots and kicks off fresh growth.
SeedModerate
When fresh seed is available · Slow
Starting from seed works when fresh seed shows up, but it's the slow lane and demands more patience than the other two methods. Most growers stick with division or cuttings to keep things moving.
Myths
A Chinese evergreen actively detoxifies the air throughout your home.
A 2020 research review found that potted plants don't budge indoor air quality at any density you'd actually live with. To match what a building's normal ventilation already pulls off, you'd need somewhere between 10 and 1,000 plants per square meter. Grow this one for the show it puts on, not as an air purifier.