''Aglaonema modestum'', called Chinese evergreen, green-for-ten-thousand-years, and lily of China, is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''
Aglaonema
''Aglaonema'' is a genus of flowering plants in the arum family, Araceae. They are native to tropics, tropical and subtropics, subtropical regions of Asia and New Guinea. In these areas, it is found in tropical swamps and rainforests.
Cultivation
It has gained the
Royal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity.
The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...
's
Award of Garden Merit
The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions.
It includes the full range of cultivated p ...
.
''A. modestum'' is typically tall and wide. It occasionally produces white spathe-and-spadix
flowers
Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...
that give way to oval-shaped, reddish
fruits
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...
that are long. Its lance-shaped leaves measure , and are borne on stalks that arise from a central growing point.
''A. modestum'' requires a shaded location, and should not be exposed to temperatures below , which can damage the foliage. It cannot endure direct sunlight and is a good choice for dimly lit rooms. It requires ample moisture except for a very short winter rest period, in which watering can be somewhat reduced. Young plants should be repotted every spring, while mature specimens need be repotted only every two to three years.
Toxicity
This plant contains
calcium oxalate
Calcium oxalate (in archaic terminology, oxalate of lime) is a calcium salt of oxalic acid with the chemical formula or . It forms hydrates , where ''n'' varies from 1 to 3. Anhydrous and all hydrated forms are colorless or white. The monohydr ...
crystals which are poisonous to humans, dogs, cats, and horses. If ingested, it may cause severe burning and swelling in the mouth and tongue. Contact with the sap may also cause skin irritation.