caladium

American  

[kuh-ley-dee-uhm] / kəˈleɪ di əm /

noun

1. any of several tropical American plants of the genus Caladium, of the arum family, cultivated for their variegated, colorful leaves.

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caladium British  

/ kəˈleɪdɪəm /

noun

1. any of various tropical plants of the aroid genus Caladium, which are widely cultivated as potted plants for their colourful variegated foliage

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Etymology

Origin of caladium

1835–45; < New Latin: originally coined as genus name for taro on basis of Malay kəladi (spelling keladi ) araceous plant; see -ium

Example Sentences

He went to the corral and marked the animals and plants: cow, goat, pig, hen, cassava, caladium, banana.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Keládi is a caladium, which furnishes the principal edible root in Borneo.

From Through Central Borneo; an Account of Two Years' Travel in the Land of Head-Hunters Between the Years 1913 and 1917 by Lumholtz, Carl

There are some other plants which have underground parts that are commonly called bulbs but which are not bulbs at all; for example, the gladiolus and the caladium, or elephant's ear.

From Agriculture for Beginners Revised Edition by Burkett, Charles William

Close to my face, so near that it startled me for a moment, over the curved length of a long narrow caladium leaf, there came suddenly two brilliant lights.

From Jungle Peace by Beebe, William

Among edible roots the caladium is the chief.

From The Pagan Tribes of Borneo by Haddon, Alfred C. (Alfred Cort)