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

The natives of Ceylon get over the difficulty very well by gathering one of the many beautifully spotted large caladium leaves which abound in the roadside ditches.

From The Last Voyage to India and Australia, in the 'Sunbeam' by Pritchett, R. T. (Robert Taylor)

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

Start same as caladium, but they do not require so much heat.

From Gardening Indoors and Under Glass A Practical Guide to the Planting, Care and Propagation of House Plants, and to the Construction and Management of Hotbed, Coldframe and Small Greenhouse by Rockwell, F. F. (Frederick Frye)

For summer planting in or near ponds, caladium, umbrella-plant, and papyrus are good.

From Manual of Gardening (Second Edition) by Bailey, L. H. (Liberty Hyde)