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.

Vampire or Simply a Bird Nest.....

Realising that today is Friday the 13th (oooohhhhh...), no its not that I'm being supertitious but it does gives me an idea to post something about the mythical belief among the locals and elders in this region. Oh no, I'm not going to start writing on some ghost stories but on something more related to my 'green fingers'.


This graceful species of the common fern is often associated in the Malay folklore with the Langsuir or pontianak (directly translated as the female vampire..and by the way, why the local version of the vampire must always be a female?? Something to ponder!). Thus, locally it is commonly known as Pokok Langsuir or the nicer version, Pokok Semun.

Botanically, the fern is known as Asplenium Nidus or commonly known as Bird Nest's Fern or Crow's Nest Fern. The fern is a native of Tropical Asia, Northern Australia, India and Japan. It can grow in great variety as an epiphyte* on large trees especially in rainforests. Independently, it can also be found on the forest floors or on rocks with good available light.



The unique formation of nest shaped radiating fronds has nest-like 'hairs' in its crown (that's how the name Bird's Nest derived) and water clogging should be kept away from it to prevent rotting. The roots of the fern is small, dense & spongy to keep it constantly moist.

The Bird Nest's fern is one of the easiest fern to grow. Propagation is by division of the mother plant or by spores found on the underside, mid-rift of the matured fronds or by young babies easily found in between rocks, plants, etc.


If propagation is by using spores, firstly place a leaf with mature spores onto a piece of paper or in a paper bag. Within a day or two, the spores can be collected and placed onto a pot containing moist peat moss, sphagnum moss or any moist medium. Placed the pot in a shady location and mist daily to encourage germination.

To propagate a division or the baby of the fern, placed the plant onto a well-drained medium in a pot, basket or tub and placed them on shaded areas with filtered sunlight to produce nice, green lust fronds. The roots should always be kept moist but not wet.


*epiphyte - plant growing on another

White Paw Rabbit's Foot Anyone?

No..no..no..its not another exotic culinary special of the day, its the common name for this special fern pictured below. Botanically, the fern is known as Humata Tyermanii (sounds Japanese to me..he.he..)



The fern, native to the Canary Islands gets its common name White Paw Rabbit's Foot fern from the white fur on the feet (rhizomes) that come over the edge of the pot.


It's an easy to grow fern, loves moisture & few hours of sunshine each day. Due to the nature of the fern where the fronds grow upwards whereas the rhizomes (white paw) grow around and out of the pot, it is great to plant it in a hanging basket or a hanging pot. Propagation is by cutting the rhizome (ie. the white paw) and place it into a well-drained medium.

Mother-In-Law Tongue ??

When someone mentioned that the common name of this plant is the 'Mother-In-Law Tongue' locally known in Malay as 'Lidah Mak Mentua'(what's else, the direct translation), it really made me lost for words. These questions 'Why such a name for a beautiful plant?', 'Why Tongue?', 'Why of all persons, mother-in-law was chosen?' was playing over & over thru my mind...Aarrghh, why torturing myself for such questions, the plant is really beautiful and unique and have a presence of its own. Eversince I came to this country, I have successfully nurtured 2 pots of this plant and even propagated some and given them to friends.



From the views of some locals and friends that I have encountered, all gave a unique belief of the plant...if one's to place a pot of the Sansevieria Trifasciata , either one of the type ie. green foliage or the variegated foliage at the side of the entrance of their house, it can actually wad-off evil spirits from entering the house. It's just a belief and it's up to each individual to decide. As for me, I just love the twisted, cross-banding leaves of the plant which makes a beautiful, unique houseplant either indoors or outdoors.



Sansevieria Trifasciata as it is known botanically is one of the favourite houseplant locally because it can tolerate from irregular watering and low light level. The plant is also often used as an air filter because of its tendency to absorb certain poisonous substances.

The leaves of the plant grows vertically, twisted and cross-banding and can reach up to the height of 3 feet (approx. 1 metre). The plant also produces small frangrance white blooms which is very rare, rested on a long stem. Propagation is by means of stem cutting or to be precise, leaf cutting and by dividing the creeping rhizome in a well-drained medium.

Zamioculcas Zamiifolia

The ZZ plant, Aroid Palm, Money Plant, Eternity Plant..that's a few of the many common names given to Zamioculcas Zamiifolia. This unusual aroid is known to be originated from Eastern Africa, the countries of Zanzibar & Tanzania to be precise.


Due to its toleration of low light, low water and a certain degree of neglect, this hardy plant will absolutely make a fine houseplant. Its beautiful foliage of glossy, shiny leaves is absolutely a plus..light green leaves when young turning to dark green when matured. There is a mythical belief among the locals especially those of Chinese origins that if the plant starts to produce flowers, it actually will bring good luck to the owner...well, I really admire it for its beautiful, shiny foliage.




In the wild, natural propagation can be done from the seeds of the plant but commercially, the plant can either be propagated by leaf cutting (which really take a long period of time to root) or from the separation of the bulblets that can be found at the roots. It loves shady location, with filtered sunlight to produce nice shiny dark green leaves. From my personal point of view, the ZZ plant will really make a fine indoor houseplant for those who are too busy with their daily lives and yet still need some 'greenery' in their homes.