Houseplant · Araceae
Chinese Evergreen
Aglaonema commutatum
Forgiving, shade-friendly, and at ease in a warm room, Chinese evergreen brings quiet polish to the corners other plants refuse.
Bright indirect
60–80°F · 16–27°C
USDA 10–12
12–20 in · 30–51 cm
Overview
Some plants earn their place by being easy to live with, and Chinese evergreen is one of them. A member of the arum family, it comes from the shaded, humid forest floors of the Philippines and Sulawesi, an origin that translates neatly into the modern interior. It settles into the dim, warm pockets of a home, the spots a sunny windowsill plant would never accept, and reads as composed rather than fussy.
Its appeal is a matter of styling. The foliage arrives marbled, streaked, and splashed in silver, green, cream, and deep red, which lets you tune a room by cultivar. The solid-green forms lend a calm, grounding note to a low-light study or hallway, while the red and richly variegated types add a warmer accent and ask only for brighter indirect light to look their best.
It keeps a tidy footprint, usually 12 to 20 inches (30 to 51 cm) tall, and grows at an unhurried pace that suits a considered space. Keep it warm, water with a light hand, and it slots easily into a daily routine. One thing shapes where it goes: every part is toxic to pets and irritating to people, so style it on a high shelf or a room they don't share.
Care
The short version: the colorful cultivars want bright indirect light while the plain green ones are content in low light, water once the upper inch or two of the mix has dried, hold the room above 60°F (16°C), and go easy on feeding.
Light
Reserve bright indirect light for the colorful and variegated cultivars so they hold the markings that earn them a spot in a room. The plain green types are the obliging exception, content 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 before watering again, keeping the mix lightly moist from spring through fall. Ease off from early fall to late winter, but stop short of letting it dry out completely. Use room-temperature water rather than cold, which can shock the roots, and remember that soggy soil is what causes root rot.
Soil
Set it in a well-drained peaty or soilless mix with extra humus, in a pot with drainage holes, so a handsome cachepot never traps standing water. It prefers slightly acidic soil, with a pH at or below 6.0.
Temperature
Keep the room warm, ideally 68°F to 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 place it away from cold drafts and breezy doorways.
Humidity
Average household humidity suits it, so there's no figure to manage. Just steer it clear of very dry air, which browns the leaf tips over time and dulls its look.
Feeding
Feed lightly through the spring-to-fall growing season and no more. Too much fertilizer burns the leaf edges, so when in doubt, give less and let the foliage stay clean.
Pruning
Upkeep is minimal: pinch off spent flowers and any fruit so the plant channels its energy into the leaves you put on display. With age it goes leggy, and if the lower leaves drop, the bare top can be cut off and re-rooted for a fresh, full plant.
Repotting
Repot only when it outgrows its pot or the soil breaks down, which is seldom. Roots circling the surface or escaping the drainage holes, or a top-heavy, leggy shape, are the cues that it's time.
Size & spacing
Plan for a compact piece, 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 and the silhouette stays clean.
Troubleshooting
When a Chinese evergreen looks off, the cause usually traces to water or warmth, surfacing at the roots or along the leaf edges. Match what you see below to the likely culprit and adjust the setting before it spreads.
Yellowed leaves above a soft, collapsing stem base
This is root rot, almost always the result of soil left too wet. Once the roots turn brown and slimy they can't take up water, so the plant wilts even as it drowns. Lift it from the pot, cut away the rotted roots, and replant in fresh well-drained mix in a container that genuinely 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
Mottled, curling leaves in the wake of a cold snap
As a tropical plant, Chinese evergreen takes chilling damage below about 50°F (10°C), with discoloration and curling that surface a little after the exposure. A cold draft or a drink of cold tap water can trigger it too. Shift 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 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
Cottony tufts, webbing, or sticky specks along stems and leaves
Three common pests can turn up. Fine webbing over stippled leaves means spider mites, white cottony tufts in the leaf joints are mealybugs, and small brown limpet-like bumps are scale. Wipe or wash them away, set the plant apart from the rest of your display, 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
Browned, papery tips edging the leaves
Crisp edges usually point to dry air, though a cold draft or a heavy hand with fertilizer can scorch them just the same. Move the plant off the vents and away from chilly windows, ease back on feeding, and trim the worst tips so it stays presentable. A healthy green center is your sign the roots are still in good shape.
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 leaves paling and drawn thin in a dark spot
The colored and variegated cultivars want more light than people expect, and in a dark corner they lose their markings and lean toward the window, undoing the very look you wanted. The solid-green types handle low light without complaint, so think of this as a placement mismatch. Give the colorful ones brighter indirect light and reserve the dimmest corners 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
Style this one with placement in mind, because it belongs out of reach. Every part holds insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, and a chewed leaf brings burning, swelling, and drooling to pets, livestock, and people alike. Nothing on it is edible, and the sap can irritate skin, so wash your hands once you've handled it.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Moderate
A curious cat that samples a leaf feels its mouth burn at once, then drools, paws at the face, and may be sick. Its tongue and lips may swell enough to make swallowing difficult.
Dogs Moderate
Let a dog chew a leaf and the crystals bite instantly, bringing on copious drooling, mouth-pawing, and vomiting. The tongue and throat may swell in the aftermath.
Horses Moderate
For a horse, chewing the foliage means fierce oral burning, a puffed-up mouth and tongue, and constant drooling. Unable to vomit, a horse shows its distress through the irritation and difficulty swallowing.
Rabbits Toxic
Those same calcium oxalate crystals inflame a rabbit's delicate mouth and digestive tract, so it drools and turns away from food. The plant belongs well beyond its reach.
Livestock Toxic
Grazing goats, sheep, and cattle that sample the leaves end up with a mouth left burning and swollen, plus heavy drooling, and most retreat once that first bite turns painful.
Birds Toxic
A caged bird that tastes the foliage meets the same mouth burning and irritation. Given how small birds are, even a tiny nibble justifies a call to the vet.
People Caution
Nothing on the plant belongs on a plate: a chewed leaf sets the mouth burning and can swell its tongue and lips. Because the sap can irritate skin, rinse your hands after touching it and site it out of young children's reach.
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 comes in dozens of cultivars, sorted largely by leaf color and the light each one prefers, which makes choosing one as much a decorating decision as a horticultural one. These are the names you'll see most.
'Maria'
Dark green leaves streaked with silver give it a refined, restful look, and as one of the more shade tolerant cultivars it earns a dim corner.
'Silver Bay'
Green foliage washed with silver variegation down the center of each leaf reads soft and luminous against a darker wall.
'Siam Aurora' (also sold as 'Red Aglaonema')
Deep crimson along the veins and edges makes it a warm accent piece, one that wants brighter indirect light than the plain green forms.
'Silver Queen'
Dark green leaves carrying heavy silver-gray variegation across most of the surface bring a cool, metallic polish to a styled shelf.
'Crete'
Green leaves splashed and edged in burgundy red, set off by pale pink stems, add a playful pop of color to a neutral room.
How to propagate
Adding to a collection is simple here, and the moment usually arrives on its own, either at repotting time or when an older plant grows leggy and asks for a refresh.
DivisionEasy
Spring at repotting · Several weeks
The simplest route to a second plant is to divide one you already have. At spring repotting, ease the clump apart into sections that each keep their own roots, pot them separately, and they settle in over the next few weeks, ready to style somewhere new.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Spring to summer · Several weeks to root
When an older plant grows leggy and sheds its lower leaves, there's no need to retire it. Cut the bare top off in spring or summer and re-root it, and within a few weeks it puts out new roots and returns as a fuller, more presentable plant.
SeedModerate
When fresh seed is available · Slow
Growing from seed is an option when fresh seed turns up, but it's the slow road and asks more patience than the other two methods. Most people reach for division or cuttings instead.
Myths
A Chinese evergreen naturally cleanses the air of a room.
A 2020 review of the research found that potted plants don't meaningfully shift indoor air quality at any density you'd actually live with. To match what your home's ordinary ventilation already manages, you'd need somewhere between 10 and 1,000 plants per square meter. Keep this one for the room it makes, not as an air purifier.