[APD] Re: Caladiums

[<jppurchase at rogers_com>]

"I am thinking about adding caladiums but with only the roots in water as
that's the habitat they come from."

According to Cook (Aquatic Plant Book, 1996), there are around 10 species of Caladiums plus numerous hybrids. Two species are claimed to be aquatic and he has a line drawing of Caladium bicolor in the book. He doesn't name the other aquatic species. Most Caladiums by nature are helophytes - they grow beside bodies of water, rather than in the water. Your idea of letting the roots grow into the aquarium might work very well, if you can provide enough light for the leaves and keep the tuber out of the water. They like shade but still need quite bright illumination, plus high humidity. Being in the US you are lucky, there are many specialized dealers selling Caladiums mail order - the standard garden Caladium is usually a hybrid but some of the specialized dealers might have species. An email to them might locate one of the aquatic species.

James Purchase
Toronto

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