Aglaonemas are a genus comprised of 40 accepted species and hundreds of cultivars. They are native to Asia and New Guinea, growing mainly as low light understory plants in very humid forest. They usually obtain a good portion of the moisture that they need from humidity, as water can be sparse in their natural environment. They are commonly referred to as 'Chinese evergreens' and are common houseplants. When humidity is not high enough for their liking, they will exhibit brown leaf edges, folding of leaves, and other leaf deformities.
These plants are cold sensitive, preferring temperatures between 60-85F year round. They like moist but well draining soil. Best grown in a well draining mix of peat, orchid bark and perlite, that do not like soil that is compacted.
Of the many species and cultivars grown, one is standing out right now as the most popular Aglaonema on the market: the variegated form of A. pictum called 'Tricolor'.
Unlike its cousins, in order to maintain the much sought after variegation on the leaves, this particular plant needs very bright diffuse light. It grows naturally on volcanic slope at elevation between 1000-2000 meters in Sumatra and on Nias Island.
I have had my plant for about 15 years give or take. One plant has now become 3. I thought I had lost it to cold, but it re-emerged and is now growing well again.
This plant is currently a collector's item, although this was not always the case. I paid perhaps $20-25 for mine back in the day. The median selling price for a small specimen of this plant currently is about $260 USD, although one did sell at auction within the past 6 months for a whopping $430.
Only the buyer can decide what a plant is really worth to them, but I personally feel like these prices are beyond ridiculous. However, the 'Tricolor' is a lovely plant and makes a beautiful addition to a terrarium, vivarium, greenhouse or houseplant collection.
Even though the conventional wisdom about Aglaonema is that they are terrestrial, I have had phenomenal success growing some as emersed aquatics in my pond and stream. These specimens below are firmly established and have tripled and even quadrupled in size since I placed them directly into the water (no pots, just bare root)
And a few others just grown as regular terrestrials. I don't have a huge collection of these, only 5 different ones, but I love them and definitely want to collect more in the future.
I'd sure love to see your plants and find out names of them and where you might have bought them. Please show yours!
