Dieffenbachia

Dieffenbachia is a genus of tropical plants in the Araceae family, notable for the characteristic pale spots on their leaves. About 30 species are known, some used as houseplants due to their shade tolerance. The most cultivated species is Dieffenbachia bowmanii.

Introduced to Europe at the end of the XIX century, it comes mainly from the virgin forests of Central and South America. The name was put in honor of the German physician and naturalist Ernst Dieffenbach. In Panama it is known as "pita or pito" in the interior areas of the country and commonly called lotería, in the rest of the nation, and in Mexico and Peru galatea.

Description

It can reach between 3 m and 20 m in height, depending on the species, with an erect stem, oval or lanceolate leaves, discreetly asymmetrical, dark green in color, with variegated, pale spots.

Cultivation

• Light: places well illuminated but not directly exposed to the sun, and far from the air currents and hot flashes (heating, etc.).

Tolerates semi-shade areas better than most variegated plants. An excess of light causes the leaves to turn yellow and dry the tips.

• Temperature: between 30 °C and 35 °C. They survive short periods at lower temperatures of up to 5 °C, but with the consequent danger of loss of their lower leaves. In general, large temperature variations below 10° long support poorly.
• Water: the water must be cold. The irrigation must be abundant, especially in summer, when it is hot.
• Earth: you need an acid pH (3.0 to 4), loose turf mixture with bark or vegetable land and perlite (or river sand). It requires semi fertile soil that with peat, bark or vegetable land is achieved. It must be wet and that's why we added the perlite.
• Humidity: relative humidity should be kept regular so the leaves should be sprayed according to the environmental humidity in which it is located.
• Abono: especially from October to January. It needs vegetable fertilizer every 15 days or every month.
• Multiplication: it is easily multiplied by seed or aerial acronym, for it the upper part of the bark of a plant, with 3-5 leaves, or stem grafts provided with a yolk. Quickly root in water, peat, or in light soil of seedling. (being placed before with copper sulfate) on sand or mixture of peat and sand (or perlite), or in a container with water. They will need cold background of about 5 °C and an environmental temperature of no more than 10 °C. The cuttings must be in half a direct sun and maintain their environmental humidity. They'll radiate in 6 or 10 weeks. Then they will move to the definitive place of cultivation.
• Plagues and diseases in their cultivation: are attacked by red spider, chochinilla, pulgones, mushrooms.

Toxicity

The cells of the Dieffenbachia plant contain needle-shaped crystals of calcium oxalate called raphides. If a leaf is chewed, these crystals can cause a temporary mild burning sensation and erythema. Other plant enzymes are believed to increase the potency of the crystals. Rare cases of edema of tissues exposed to the plant have been reported. Chewing and ingestion generally causes only very mild discomfort, but contact with its gum in the eyes or blood can cause heart problems. In pets and children, contact with dieffenbachia (usually through chewing) can cause a number of symptoms. very bothersome, including sharp and strong throat irritation, drooling, and localized swelling. In case of touching your gum, you should wash your hands or face with plenty of water. In most cases, the symptoms are moderate, and can be successfully treated using pain relievers, antihistamines, or activated charcoal. Inducing vomiting or performing gastric lavages is generally not recommended, except in some cases.

Taxonomy

The genus was described by Heinrich Wilhelm Schott and published in Wiener Zeitschrift für Kunst, Litteratur, Theater und Mode 1829(3): 803. 1829. The type species is: Dieffenbachia seguine (Jacq.) Schott.