All parts of the plant will cause medium-severity poison symptoms including burning and swelling of face, nausea and vomitting. Contact with sap may cause skin irritation.
Tropical perennial plant native to South and Central America.
Grown as a bulb and propogates by tubers.
Require high shade and rich, acidic soil.
Leaves are large, showy, and vaguely heart-shaped.
Hardiness zone 9-10
Sentimental and Symbolic Value
The exact origin of this plant being called The Heart of Jesus is unknown, but it likely originates with the first European horticultural study on the plant, carried out by the Dutch in the early 1700s. This name is most likely a reference to the Heart of Jesus, also known as the Sacred Heart, a Christian devotion representing God's "boundless and passionate love [and] infinite mercy".
A heat-loving plant which is very frail in the colder north, it represents summer and wanderlust for the tropics for many people outside of its native range.
Specimen photographed found on Beacon Street, Boston, Massachusetts. Part of the Urban Ornamental Plants assignment (10/27/2021)
Plant History and Etymology
Caladium is the Latinization of an unknown indigenous language's word for kale, while bicolor means "two-colored", in reference to its interesting color pattern. This plant is native to the Amazon and other rainforests of South and Central America. In 1704, some specimens of C. bicolor were sent to the Amsterdam Botanical Garden, and their unique aesthetics led to them being adopted extensively in the Netherlands and the UK. They later spread to the Caribbean in the 1800s, and began to be commercialized in the US in 1905. It has since naturalized in many of these places, and there are about 1500 cultivars and hybrids in cultivation worldwide.
Design Considerations
This plant is highly showy, with its large leaves exhibiting bright colors year-round. These leaves are often green around the outside fading to white, red, or purple in the center, but may also be white with green veins. However, it grows only in shade and fares horribly in colder temperates. Therefore it would be best planted under other large plantings or indoors, however this also means that it can thrive as the groundcover of a dense tree or shrub planting where most plants would die. During the winter, one should remove the plant, ensuring that the tuber is in one piece, and replant it indoors for the season.
Sources
“Caladium Bicolor - Plant Finder.” 2021. Missouribotanicalgarden.org. 2021. https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a438.
“Caladium Bicolor (Angel Wings, Caladium, Candidum, Elephant’s Ears, Exposition, Fancy-Leaved Caladium, Malanga, Mother-In-Law Plant, Pai, Pink Cloud, Stoplight, Taro, Texas Wonder, Via, via Sori) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.” 2021. Ncsu.edu. 2021. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/caladium-bicolor/.
“Caladium Bicolor (Heart of Jesus).” 2016. Cabi.org. 2016. https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/121808#tohistoryOfIntroductionAndSpread.
“Caladiums.” 2021. Wisconsin Horticulture. 2021. https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/caladiums/#:~:text=Caladiums%20are%20tropical%20perennials%20with,that%20are%20used%20as%20ornamentals..
“19 June 2009: Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus - Second Vespers - Opening of the Year for Priests | BENEDICT XVI.” 2021. Vatican.va. 2021. https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/homilies/2009/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20090619_anno-sac.html.