The green areas on the map are where Caladiums were found to grow natively, and the purple areas are where they flourished after being intoduced.

Breeding plants with desirable characteristics was well underway in the 1800s and continues today. There are over 1000 named cultivars of Caladium bicolour from the original South American plant. More Info

Potted and landscape caladium plants are grown from tubers (they are often called bulbs). Most of the tubers used throughout the world are produced in Florida.

The University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) initiated a caladium breeding program in 1976 at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Centre.

So far, this has been the only major organized caladium breeding program in the world. The program's main objectives were to develop new cultivars that:

1) can produce many bright colourful leaves and a high yield of good quality tubers; and

2) have short, sturdy petioles and multi-eyed tubers that can result in increased early leaf production and improved leaf display.

Additional goals of this program included the following:

1) to improve the aesthetic values and performance of caladium plants in containers and landscapes.

2) to eliminate the costly labour associated with tuber de-eyeing; and

3) to improve tuber and plant productivity and profitability. More Info

The leaves of caladiums are large, arrowhead-shaped, and marked in varying patterns in white, pink, and red. The two forms most widely cultivated are called “fancy-leaved” (round and pointy) and “lance-leaved” (long and ruffled)1.with many new shaped being created. More Info