A Dumb Cane???

I am confused as anyone else, why another confused name to a nice plant? The confusion began with the common name that I discovered for these few pots of my plants with beautiful foliage. The Dumb Cane, Leopard Lily or by any other names, is a very common houseplant that has more than 30 species worldwide. It is one of the local favourite here with some having a few species in their collection. Botanically, the bold & popular plant is known as Dieffenbachia, an Araceae family and native of Caribbean, Central & South America.


The beautiful, variegated leaves of the Dumb Cane come in a variety of colours in all shades of green, light yellow to white and some with a dash of red whereas, the designs on the leaves are in a very unique pattern for each different species.

Due to its low light tolerance, easy propagation and attractive foliar variegation, the Dumb Cane has always been one of the popular choices for home decors to include as an indoor houseplant. If the leaves received too much light, they will become faded but once in a while, the plant need to be put for a few hours under a full sun in order to keep it from becoming top heavy and in need of support.




The plant is known to be poisonous especially to small children & animals if consume in a high quantity which will result in swelling of the throat tissue and constrict breathing. The sap contains a potent irritant that is painful and may cause damage if contact is made to the eyes and irritant to the skin. Matured plants do produce blooms that not as bold as the foliage.

When the plant becomes gangly and unattractive, cut-off the cane leaving about 4 inches above the soil. The stump will re-sprout and grow a new plant. The top section of the plant where the foliage is on can either be rooted in the pot containing well-drained medium or rooted in water.

Water when the soil is dry to the touch and be careful not to overwater the plants because overwatering can cause the stems to rot. On the other hand, if they don't get enough water, their leaves will get brown edges.