caladium confusion

maplewick Bellingham, WA Jul 06, 2008

Hi -- this is my first post on the forums.

Last spring ('08) I found a couple plants that were marked 'caladium' on a local florist's container-plant table. One was tricolored deep scarlet, green and white, and the leaf had an unusual form -- where the stem met the leaf, it was spiraled, a kind of rosette shape that opened into the heart-shaped whole. The other one was pink and white and green, and it was similar but not exactly the same in its shape.

This year that same florist didn't have any caladium, didn't even remember which supplier she got them from, had no idea if she'd get any in this year. I checked with all the local growers, no luck. So I started searching online. There are many lovely photos here of caladiums, but none of them are remotely like the ones I had in terms of leaf shape. Most specifically the spiraling out from the juncture of leaf and stem is what I was hoping to find.

I suppose it's possible that the plants were not caladium at all, and that's why I'm having such trouble, but I don't think so. These had the typical colors and markings of caladium, it was just the leaf shape that was so different and interesting. Also, come to think of it, the caladium I have found here and elsewhere have much longer stems than the the ones I'm looking for.

I *thought* I had a photo of one of the containers, but of course now I can't find it. Caladium, New Zealand impatients in a deep pink, and cascading... (my memory, really) that was lime green. Really stunning, I got so many comments and compliments about it.

If anybody can give me some hints on where to look (and even what I'm looking for), I'd be very thankful.