Houseplant · Araceae
Chinese Evergreen
Aglaonema commutatum
Forgiving, shade-friendly, and happy in a warm room, Chinese evergreen is the houseplant for people who forget to fuss.
Bright indirect
60–80°F · 16–27°C
USDA 10–12
12–20 in · 30–51 cm
Overview
Chinese evergreen is one of the most easygoing houseplants you can keep. It belongs to the arum family and comes from the forest floors of the Philippines and Sulawesi, where it grows in warm, shaded, humid air. That background is why it shrugs off the dim corners and steady indoor warmth of a typical home.
The draw is the foliage. Leaves come marbled, streaked, and splashed in silver, green, cream, and deep red, and the cultivar you pick sets how much light it wants. The solid-green forms take the darkest spots in stride, while the red and heavily variegated types hold their color only in brighter indirect light.
It stays compact, usually 12 to 20 inches (30 to 51 cm) tall, and grows at an unhurried pace. Keep it warm, water with a light touch, and it asks for almost nothing else. One thing to know up front: every part of the plant is toxic to pets and irritating to people, so place it with that in mind.
Care
The short version: bright indirect light for the colorful types and low light for the green ones, water only when the top inch or two of soil dries, keep it warm above 60°F (16°C), and feed lightly.
Light
Give the colorful and variegated cultivars bright indirect light to hold their markings. The plain green types are the exception, taking low light and even deep shade without complaint. Keep all of them out of direct sun, which scorches the leaves.
Water
Let the top 1 to 2 inches (about 3 to 5 cm) of soil dry before you water again, keeping the mix lightly moist from spring through fall. Cut back from early fall to late winter, but never let it dry out completely. Use room-temperature water, since cold water can shock the roots, and remember that soggy soil is what causes root rot.
Soil
Plant in a well-drained peaty or soilless mix enriched with extra humus, and make sure the pot has drainage holes. The plant likes things slightly acidic, with a pH at or below 6.0.
Temperature
Keep it warm, ideally between 68°F and 80°F (20°C to 27°C). It tolerates 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 keep it clear of cold drafts.
Humidity
Average household humidity suits it fine, so there's no number to chase. Very dry air is the main thing to avoid, since it browns the leaf tips over time.
Feeding
Feed only lightly during the spring-through-fall growing season. Too much fertilizer burns the leaf edges, so when in doubt, give less.
Pruning
There's little to do beyond pinching off spent flowers and any fruit so the plant puts its energy into leaves. With age it goes leggy, and if the lower leaves drop you can cut the bare top off and re-root it for a fresh plant.
Repotting
Repot only when it outgrows its pot or the soil breaks down, which isn't often. Roots circling the surface or poking out the drainage holes, or a top-heavy leggy plant, tell you it's time.
Size & spacing
Expect 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 that air moves freely around the leaves.
Troubleshooting
Most Chinese evergreen trouble starts at the roots or shows on the leaf edges, and nearly all of it comes back to water and warmth. Match what you see below to the likely cause, then fix it before it spreads.
Yellowing leaves with soft, mushy stems at the base
This is root rot, and it almost always traces back to soil that stays too wet. Once the roots turn brown and slimy they can't take up water, so the plant wilts even as it drowns. Unpot it, cut away the rotted roots, and replant in fresh well-drained mix in a pot that actually drains.
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
Blotchy, discolored, or curling leaves after a cold spell
Chinese evergreen is a tropical plant and takes chilling damage below about 50°F (10°C), with discoloration and curling showing up after the fact. A cold draft or a drink of cold tap water can do it too. Shift the plant 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 then 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
Webbing, cottony tufts, or sticky bumps on leaves and stems
Three common pests show up here. Fine webbing and stippled leaves point to spider mites, white cottony tufts in the leaf joints mean mealybugs, and small brown limpet-like bumps are scale. Wipe or wash them off, isolate the plant, and treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, repeating until they're gone.
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
Brown, crispy tips or edges on the leaves
Dry air is the usual culprit, though a cold draft or a heavy hand with fertilizer can scorch the edges just the same. Move the plant away from vents and chilly windows, ease back on feeding, and trim the worst tips for looks. The green center staying healthy tells you the roots are 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 or red leaves fading and going leggy in dim light
The colored and variegated cultivars need more light than people expect, and in a dark corner they lose their markings and stretch toward the window. Solid-green types handle low light without complaint, so this is really a matching problem. Move the colorful ones to brighter indirect light and save the deepest shade for the plain green forms.
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
This is a plant to keep out of reach. Every part holds insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, and chewing any of it brings on intense burning, swelling, and drooling in pets, livestock, and people alike. Nothing on the plant is safe to eat, and the sap can irritate skin, so wash your hands after handling it.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Moderate
A cat that bites into a leaf feels an immediate burning in the mouth, then drools, paws at its face, and may vomit. The lips and tongue can swell, which makes swallowing hard.
Dogs Moderate
The crystals sting the moment a dog chews, so expect heavy drooling, pawing at the mouth, and vomiting. Swelling of the tongue and throat can follow.
Horses Moderate
Chewing brings on intense oral burning, a swollen mouth and tongue, and steady drooling. Horses can't vomit, so the irritation and trouble swallowing are what you'll notice.
Rabbits Toxic
The same calcium oxalate crystals irritate a rabbit's sensitive mouth and gut, leaving it drooling and off its food. Keep the plant well out of reach.
Livestock Toxic
Cattle, goats, and sheep that browse the foliage get a burning, swollen mouth and drool heavily, and they tend to back off after the first painful bite.
Birds Toxic
A pet bird that nibbles the leaves suffers the same oral burning and irritation. Their small size means even a little is worth a vet call.
People Caution
No part of the plant is edible, and a chewed leaf burns the mouth and can swell the lips and tongue. The sap may also irritate skin, so wash your hands after handling and keep it away from 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 is sold under dozens of cultivar names, sorted mostly by leaf color and how much light each one needs. These are the ones you'll run into most.
'Maria'
Dark green leaves streaked with silver, and one of the more shade tolerant cultivars for a dim corner.
'Silver Bay'
Green foliage washed with silver variegation down the center of each leaf.
'Siam Aurora' (also sold as 'Red Aglaonema')
Deep crimson runs along the veins and edges, a colorful type that needs brighter indirect light than the plain green forms.
'Silver Queen'
Dark green leaves carrying heavy silver-gray variegation across most of the surface.
'Crete'
Green leaves splashed and edged in burgundy red, set off by pale pink stems.
How to propagate
Making more Chinese evergreens is easy, and you'll most often do it the moment you repot or when an old plant grows leggy.
DivisionEasy
Spring at repotting · Several weeks
The simplest way to make more is to split an established plant. When you repot in spring, tease the clump apart into sections that each carry their own roots, pot them up, and they settle in over the next few weeks.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Spring to summer · Several weeks to root
When an old plant goes leggy and drops its lower leaves, don't toss it. Cut off the bare top in spring or summer and re-root it, and it takes a few weeks to put out new roots and start fresh.
SeedModerate
When fresh seed is available · Slow
Growing from seed works when fresh seed turns up, but it's the slow road and asks for more patience than the other two methods. Most people stick with division or cuttings.
Myths
A Chinese evergreen cleans and detoxes the air in your home.
A 2020 review of the research found that potted plants don't move the needle on indoor air quality at any density you'd actually live with. To match what a normal building's ventilation already does, you'd need somewhere between 10 and 1,000 plants per square meter. Keep this one for its looks, not as an air purifier.