Caladium 'White Christmas'

🌿 Caladium 'White Christmas' is a cultivar of Caladium bicolor, a tuberous perennial from the Araceae family native to South American rainforests. This indoor tropical foliage plant is known for its striking white leaves with delicate green veining and contrasting red stems. It's an intermediate-level plant, requiring attention to humidity and light conditions but rewarding growers with stunning seasonal displays. Fun fact: caladiums go dormant in winter, losing all their leaves naturally, then regrow from the tuber when conditions warm up again in spring.
FOLIAGE AND GROWTH HABIT
This caladium grows in an upright, clumping habit from underground tubers, reaching about 30 to 45 centimetres tall and wide at maturity. The leaves are heart-shaped and paper-thin with a smooth, almost translucent texture that lets light filter through beautifully. The main colour is creamy white with soft green veins running through each leaf, while the petioles (leaf stems) are a vivid red-pink that adds extra visual interest. New leaves emerge tightly furled and gradually unfurl to reveal their full pattern.
FLOWER DETAILS
Caladiums can produce small, spathe-type flowers typical of the aroid family, but they're quite insignificant compared to the foliage. The flowers are greenish-white, tucked low among the leaves, and lack fragrance or decorative appeal. Most growers remove flower spikes as soon as they appear because flowering diverts energy away from producing those gorgeous leaves. If you want maximum foliage display, pinch off any flower buds that form at the base of the plant. Flowering tends to happen more in mature tubers during the active growing season from late spring through summer.
CARE INSTRUCTIONS
🌞 Light: Bright indirect light for 6 to 8 hours daily. Avoid direct sun, which scorches the thin leaves. Tolerates partial shade but colours fade.
💧 Water: Keep soil consistently moist during the growing season (spring to early fall). Water when the top 2 centimetres of soil feel dry. Reduce watering significantly in fall as the plant enters dormancy. Bottom watering works well to avoid wetting the delicate leaves.
🌡️ Humidity: Requires 60 to 80 percent humidity. Use a humidifier, pebble tray, or group with other plants. Low humidity causes brown leaf edges.
🪴 Soil: Light, well-draining mix with high organic matter. Combine potting soil with peat moss and perlite for good drainage and moisture retention.
🏺 Potting: Use a pot with drainage holes, 15 to 20 centimetres wide. Plastic or ceramic works fine. Repot tubers annually in spring when new growth starts, going up one size if the tuber has grown.
🌱 Growth rate: Fast-growing during active season. New leaves appear weekly in ideal conditions. Reaches full size in 2 to 3 months after sprouting. Goes fully dormant in winter, losing all leaves.
👩‍🌾 Fertilizing: Feed every 2 to 3 weeks from spring through summer with diluted balanced liquid fertilizer. Stop fertilizing in fall when leaves start dying back naturally.
🐾 Pet friendly: No. Caladiums are toxic to cats and dogs. They contain calcium oxalate crystals that cause oral irritation, drooling, difficulty swallowing, and vomiting if ingested.
WHERE TO PUT IT
Place your Caladium 'White Christmas' in a bright bathroom with high humidity, a kitchen with indirect light from a window, or a well-lit living room away from heating vents and air conditioners. It thrives in terrariums or grouped with other humidity-loving tropicals. Display it on a plant stand or shelf where the light can shine through the translucent leaves for a stunning effect. Avoid placing it in direct sunlight near south or west-facing windows, in drafty hallways, in dark corners, or near fireplaces and heaters where the air is too dry.