Dumb Cane

''Dieffenbachia'' , commonly known as dumb cane or leopard lily, is a genus of tropical flowering plants in the family Araceae. It is native to the New World Tropics from Mexico and the West Indies south to Argentina. Some species are widely cultivated as ornamental plants, especially as houseplants, and have become naturalized on a few tropical islands.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
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''Dieffenbachia'' is a perennial herbaceous plant with straight stem, simple and alternate leaves containing white spots and flecks, making it attractive as indoor foliage. Species in this genus are popular as houseplants because of their tolerance of shade. The English names, dumb cane and mother-in-law's tongue (also used for '' Sansevieria'' species) refer to the poisoning effect of raphides, which can cause temporary inability to speak. ''Dieffenbachia'' was named by Heinrich Wilhelm Schott, director of the Botanical Gardens in Vienna, to honor his head gardener Joseph Dieffenbach (1796–1863).

Species

The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families lists the following species:
#'' Dieffenbachia aglaonematifolia'' Engl. – Brazil, Paraguay; Corrientes + Misiones Provinces of Argentina
#''Dieffenbachia antioquensis'' Linden ex Rafarin – Colombia
#''Dieffenbachia aurantiaca'' Engl – Costa Rica, Panama
#''Dieffenbachia beachiana'' Croat & Grayum – Costa Rica, Panama
#''Dieffenbachia bowmannii'' Carrière – Colombia, northwestern Brazil
#''Dieffenbachia brittonii'' Engl. – Colombia
#''Dieffenbachia burgeri'' Croat & Grayum – Costa Rica
#''Dieffenbachia cannifolia'' Engl. – Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
#''Dieffenbachia concinna'' Croat & Grayum – Costa Rica, Nicaragua
#''Dieffenbachia copensis'' Croat – Panama
#''Dieffenbachia cordata'' Engl. – Peru
#''Dieffenbachia costata'' Klotzsch ex Schott – Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
#'' Dieffenbachia crebripistillata'' Croat – Panama
#'' Dieffenbachia daguensis'' Engl. – Colombia, Ecuador
#'' Dieffenbachia davidsei'' Croat & Grayum – Costa Rica
#'' Dieffenbachia duidae'' (Steyerm.) G.S.Bunting – Venezuela, Guyana
#'' Dieffenbachia elegans'' A.M.E.Jonker & Jonker – Bolivia, northwestern Brazil, the Guianas
#'' Dieffenbachia enderi'' Engl. – Colombia
#'' Dieffenbachia fortunensis'' Croat – Panama
#'' Dieffenbachia fosteri'' Croat – Panama
#'' Dieffenbachia fournieri'' N.E.Br. – Colombia
#'' Dieffenbachia galdamesiae'' Croat – Panama
#'' Dieffenbachia gracilis'' Huber – Peru, northwestern Brazil
#''Dieffenbachia grayumiana'' Croat – Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia
#'' Dieffenbachia hammelii'' Croat & Grayum – Costa Rica, Nicaragua
#'' Dieffenbachia herthae'' Diels – Ecuador
#''Dieffenbachia horichii'' Croat & Grayum – Costa Rica
#''Dieffenbachia humilis'' Poepp. – Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, northwestern Brazil, the Guianas
#'' Dieffenbachia imperialis'' Linden & André – Peru
#'' Dieffenbachia isthmia'' Croat – Panama
#''Dieffenbachia killipii'' Croat – Panama
#'' Dieffenbachia lancifolia'' Linden & André – Colombia
#''Dieffenbachia leopoldii'' W.Bull – Colombia
#''Dieffenbachia longispatha'' Engl. & K.Krause – Panama, Colombia
#'' Dieffenbachia lutheri'' Croat – Panama
#''Dieffenbachia macrophylla'' Poepp. – Peru
#''Dieffenbachia meleagris'' L.Linden & Rodigas – Ecuador
#'' Dieffenbachia nitidipetiolata'' Croat & Grayum – Panama
#'' Dieffenbachia obliqua'' Poepp. – Peru
#'' Dieffenbachia obscurinervia'' Croat – Panama
#''Dieffenbachia oerstedii'' Schott – southern Mexico (Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, Oaxaca, Chiapas), Central America (all 7 countries), Colombia
#'' Dieffenbachia olbia'' L.Linden & Rodigas – Peru
#'' Dieffenbachia paludicola'' N.E.Br. ex Gleason – northwestern Brazil, the Guianas, Venezuela
#''Dieffenbachia panamensis'' Croat – Panama
#'' Dieffenbachia parlatorei'' Linden & André – Colombia, Venezuela
#'' Dieffenbachia parvifolia'' Engl. – northwestern Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
#'' Dieffenbachia pittieri'' Engl. & K.Krause – Panama
#'' Dieffenbachia seguine'' (Jacq.) Schott – West Indies, south to Brazil and Bolivia (syn. ''Dieffenbachia maculata'', ''Dieffenbachia picta'')
#'' Dieffenbachia shuttleworthiana'' Regel – Colombia
#'' Dieffenbachia standleyi'' Croat – Honduras
#'' Dieffenbachia tonduzii'' Croat & Grayum – Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador
#''Dieffenbachia weberbaueri'' Engl. – Peru
#'' Dieffenbachia weirii'' Berk. – Colombia
#'' Dieffenbachia wendlandii'' Schott – southern Mexico (Querétaro, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Chiapas) south to Panama
#'' Dieffenbachia williamsii'' Croat – Bolivia
#'' Dieffenbachia wurdackii'' Croat – Peru

''Dieffenbachia'' includes a number of unresolved taxonomic names, such as '' Dieffenbachia amoena''.

Ecology

In a survey that began in 1998, researchers in Costa Rica noticed that the strawberry poison frog '' Oophaga pumilio'', deposited almost all (89%) of their tadpoles on the leaf axils of ''Dieffenbachia''. As a result, the frog population fluctuated with the abundance of ''Dieffenbachia'', especially in secondary forest. A majority of the plants were eradicated by 2012 when the surveyors returned to the same area, with only 28% of 2002 plant numbers remaining. Researchers concluded that the reason for the rapid decline in ''Dieffenbachia'' was due to increased abundance of the collared peccary ''Dicotyles tajacu'' in the La Selva Biological Station research area; a small pig-like animal that feeds on ''Dieffenbachia'' and other plants.

Cultivation

With a minimum temperature of , dieffenbachia must be grown indoors in temperate areas. They need light, but filtered sunlight through a window is usually sufficient. They also need moderately moist soil, which should be regularly fertilized with a proprietary houseplant fertilizer. Leaves will periodically roll up and fall off to make way for new leaves. Yellowing of the leaves is generally a sign of problematic conditions, such as a nutrient deficiency in the soil. Dieffenbachia respond well to hot temperatures and dry climates.

Dieffenbachia prefer medium sunlight, moderately dry soil and average home temperatures of . Most require water about twice a week.

As ''Dieffenbachia seguine'' comes from the tropical rain forest, it prefers to have moisture at its roots, as it grows all the time, it needs constant water, but with loose well aerated soils.

The cultivars 'Camille' and 'Tropic Snow' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Toxicity

The cells of the ''Dieffenbachia'' plant contain needle-shaped calcium oxalate crystals called raphides. If a leaf is chewed, these crystals can cause a temporary burning sensation and erythema. In rare cases, edema of tissues exposed to the plant has been reported. Mastication and ingestion generally result in only mild symptoms. With both children and pets, contact with dieffenbachia (typically from chewing) can cause a host of unpleasant symptoms, including intense numbing, oral irritation, excessive drooling, and localized swelling. However, these effects are rarely life-threatening. In most cases, symptoms are mild, and can be successfully treated with analgesic agents, antihistamines,GN Lucas – Sri Lanka Journal of Child Health, 2008 – or medical charcoal. Moreover, severe cases can occur if ''Dieffenbachia'' makes prolonged contact with oral mucosal tissue. In such cases, symptoms generally include severe pain which can last for several days to weeks. Hospitalization may be necessary if prolonged contact is made with the throat, in which severe swelling has the potential to affect breathing. Gastric evacuation or lavage is "seldom" indicated. In patients with exposure to toxic plants, 70% are children younger than 5 years.

Stories that ''Dieffenbachia'' is a deadly poison are urban legends.

File:47 year old 9.75 foot tall Dieffenbachia.jpg, A 47 year old 9.75 foot tall ''Dieffenbachia'' house plant
File:Dieffenbachia houseplant.jpg, A large dieffenbachia with big bright green leaves on display as a houseplant
File:Dumbcane shoot.jpg, Dieffenbachia shoot
File:Dieffenbachia crossview.jpg, Dieffenbachia crossview

References

Sources

*Schott, H. W. and Kunst, W. Z. (1829). ''Für Liebhaber der Botanik''.

External links

Encyclopædia Britannica







Speedup Video – Dieffenbachia growth

{{Taxonbar, from=Q738915

Aroideae
Araceae genera
Garden plants
House plants
Low light plants
Poisonous plants