New Thai Caladiums

Here is a pic of one of the newest Caladiums out of Thailand. I know it doesn't look real, but it is! I have it and of course I'll breed with it, but I'd love to know what they crossed to come up with this. Caladiums, at least the "American" versions, are not shiny like this. Plus, the leaf substance is thicker than the Caladiums we are used to, almost more like a Colocasia, and the individual plant holds more leaves than the familiar types of Caladiums. This is one of the wonders to see at the Big Ear Fest in Spring 2008

LariAnn

Here is another example of the new Thai Caladiums. There are quite a few more and each one is unique in ways that familiar Caladiums are not, although a few of them have similarities to ours. Most of them have heavier substance to the leaves and a few, to be sure, seem like polyploid versions of our Caladiums, but with colors that for the life of me I can't imagine what parent(s) they came from! I do have an idea about what one of the parents of this one is (Caladium rubicundrum), but they must have a fertile version of that plant because the one I had produced no pollen.

This message was edited Oct 6, 2007 9:30 PM

beautiful! Mine are growing well. I am wondering how difficult these will be I have heard from many that Thai hybrid caladiums maybe only good for growing as potted plants and not used like many others in the ground. The bottom one I believe is called jungle rain. It makes me wonder if it is a hybri of Rubicundrum how large it can get. I saw the species of rubicundrum 6 feet many years ago. But it was growing in a water display in a botanical garden. Here is a photo of it I am sure if that form can produce the side this did it will be very impressive.

Those are stunning! I have pots they would take center stage in! I like the thicker leaves, it makes them more stable in the elements.. That red one looks almost artificial!

I have the names on these but cannot remember off hand what it's called

dark leaves

yellow leaf form

white and red

My mutation this is not a thailand hybrid

Another mutation

BRIAN!!! Those are marvelous!! I like them all! Especially the red/non thai hybrid, like that green edge around it, too! That first one is gorgeous! Oh! I like them all! Lovely... Will you offer them commercially?

Wow! Those are Outstanding! Iove the Thai hybrids .... the red one, the one with dark leaves, the white and red .... and Wow those two mutations are wonderful too! I can just picture an entire bed or large cotainer full of these Beauties! Are they on the market for the general public to purchase yet?

Yeah, I love that yellow blossom, mine is super tiny, but I dreamed about that thing before I got it, the red/white one is interesting, too

wow the red/white is a beauty

Just came back to this thread and looked at all these Beauties again! They are all so Gorgeous! Are they on the market and available to the public?

These are only available from one wholesale nursery in my area as far as I know. There is one online nursery that has some but the prices are sky-high. If you are interested, d-mail me and I'll see if I can get what you want.

thanks LariAnn ... I was just thinking maybe I would try one in the Spring time if they are available. Do you know if they would survive any cold winter weather? I have had the regular old common Caladiums in the ground before and if we have mild winters they come back in spring but if we have an unusual freeze it kills them. Do these new Thai Caladiums take any cold temp's?

Lin, I have a couple that I was growing outside and as soon as temps dipped into the 40's and 50's the foliage started to wither...came back when I brought them into the GH though

These are so new that I haven't heard of any testing along those lines. Also, these are different in that I don't believe they go dormant like the regular ones do. They seem to grow more like EEs than regular Caladiums. Since I just got mine recently, I need to grow them through a whole year to be certain of their habits.

I wouldn't plan on letting these go through cold temps, though!

Thanks Tropicana and LariAnn! We do get temp's in the 40's here and sometimes 30's and frost so I guess these plants would not be good to leave in the ground over winter. Even though our cold snaps don't last long, I don't think the Thai Caladiums would do well if we were to have some unusually cold weather, as we do in this part of Florida on ocassion.

gosh, that yellow one does look a lot like one I got from B& B this spring, but I do wonder if all thai caladmiums have similar habits with cold weather, ironically I've had some of the typical white christmas ones come back here with no special anything

If you ever get the chance to see these plants live and study them, you will know right away that they are not like the familiar Caladiums. I have four different types of the new Thai Caladiums and they all hold more leaves, pup much less or none at all, and have thicker textured leaves than the familiar Caladiums. Each of mine has a single plant per pot. Over time, this may change, but so far they behave like brightly colored little EEs.

this is my caladium "thai beauty" unfurling

and here she is fully opened.

LariAnn, Is this a caladium or not? Jerry

But this one is my favorite. Jerry

Jerry, that purple with pink spots one is called Caladium rubicundrum but I have suspicions that it may be closer to Colocasia than to Caladium.

Now, tell me more about your favorite, particularly, when you are going to send me one!!

I use to have that Caladium it is beautiful. It was called caladium florida beauty years ago. I think one of the first plants came from a good friend in south Florida who pulled it out of a landscape in South america. It is a bicolor form I am not sure if its a hybrid or a species though. If you do get a pup I am interested as well. I use to have pot and pots of it but lost it to a really bad cold spell 2 years ago.
Here is a photo of what mine use to look like.