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Heart of Jesus (Caladium bicolor)

Dlium Heart of Jesus (Caladium bicolor)

Keladi merah or heart of Jesus or angel wings (Caladium bicolor) is a species of flowering plants in Araceae, large leaves and arrow-shaped with various patterns of green, white and red, has many cultivars, often used as an ornamental plant and has been cultivated since the 18th century.

C. bicolor grows in open areas in the forest and on river banks and becomes inactive during the dry season, 40-90 cm tall, reproduces itself by dividing tubers, requires high humidity but is not inundated and requires large tree shade.









This plant has one to five leaves, oval-shaped or broad heart or slender arrows with a length of 15-45 cm, the leaf bone is centered at a point at the base of the stalk and spreads out, the surface is smooth and the edges are flat, flexible and has layers waterproof wax.

The leaves have many hues depending on the cultivar, generally green on the edges with red in the middle and along the leaf bone with white patches on the entire surface.

A long, green or black petiole with a longitudinal dark line and emerges from the bulb above the tuber. A flower has a bract at the top of the bulb, a long pedicel that is straight up, a large pistil and protected by a veil shaped and white.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Alismatales
Family: Araceae
Subfamily: Aroideae
Tribe: Caladieae
Genus: Caladium Vent. in Mag. Encycl. 4: 463 (1800)
Spesies: Caladium bicolor (Aiton) Vent. in Mag. Encycl. 4: 464 (1800)
Form: Caladium bicolor f. argyrospilum, Caladium bicolor f. brongniartii, Caladium bicolor f. chantinii, Caladium bicolor f. rubicundum

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Arum bicolor Aiton in Hortus Kew. 3: 316 (1789)
Cyrtospadix bicolor (Aiton) Britton & P.Wilson in Bot. Porto Rico 5: 126 (1924)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Alocasia rex N.E.Br. in Gard. Chron., ser. 3, 11: 731 (1892)
Alocasia roezlii N.E.Br. in Gard. Chron., n.s., 3: 589 (1875)
Arum pellucidum Fulchir ex Kunth in Enum. Pl. 3: 42 (1841)
Arum pulchrum Salisb. in Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton: 260 (1796)
Arum vermitoxicum Vell. in Fl. Flumin. 9: 386, t. 108 (1831 publ. 1881)
Caladium albicans F.F.Stange in Hamburger Garten- Blumenzeitung 18: 187 (1862)
Caladium albopunctatissimum Jacob-Makoy ex H.Karst. in Wochenschr. Gärtnerei Pflanzenk. 1: 331 (1858)
Caladium amabile Verschaff. in Nursery Cat. (Ambroise Verschaffelt) 70: 2 (1862)
Caladium amoenum Engl. in A.L.P.P.de Candolle & A.C.P.de Candolle, Monogr. Phan. 2: 461 (1879)
Caladium appunianum Engl. (1879)
Caladium argyrospilum Lem. in Ill. Hort. 5: 185 (1858)
Caladium auritum Jacob-Makoy in Nursery Cat. (L.Jacob-Makoy & Co.) 102: 39 (1863)
Caladium baraquinii W.Bull ex J.Dix in Proc. Roy. Hort. Soc. London 1: 654 (1861)
Caladium barilletii T.Moore & Mast. in Gard. Chron. 1867: 461 (1867)
Caladium barraquinii Hérincq in Fl. Serres Jard. Paris, sér. 2, 3: 163 (1858)
Caladium bicolor var. albomaculatum Engl. (1879)
Caladium bicolor var. argyrospilum (Lem.) Engl. in C.F.P.von Martius & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Bras. 3(2): 164 (1878)
Caladium bicolor f. argyrospilum (Lem.) Engl. (1879)
Caladium bicolor var. barraquinii (Hérincq) Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor f. barraquinii (Hérincq) Engl. (1879)
Caladium bicolor var. bohemicum Engl. in Pflanzenr., IV, 23E: 34 (1920)
Caladium bicolor var. brongniartii (Lem.) Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor f. brongniartii (Lem.) Engl. (1879)
Caladium bicolor f. chantinii (Lem.) Engl. (1879)
Caladium bicolor var. chantinii (Lem.) Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor var. curwadlii Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor var. devosianum (Lem.) Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor f. devosianum (Lem.) Engl. (1879)
Caladium bicolor subvar. donizettii Engl. (1920)
Caladium bicolor var. duchartrei Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor var. eckhartii Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor var. enkeanum (K.Koch) Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor var. haematostigma Kunth (1841)
Caladium bicolor f. haematostigma (Kunth) Engl. (1879)
Caladium bicolor var. hendersonii Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor var. houbyanym Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor var. houlletii (Lem.) Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor var. ketteleri Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor var. kochii Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor var. kramerianum Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor var. laucheanum (K.Koch) Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor var. leopoldii Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor var. lindenii Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor var. macrophyllum (Lem.) Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor f. macrophyllum (Lem.) Engl. (1879)
Caladium bicolor var. marginatum (K.Koch & C.D.Bouché) Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor f. mirabile (Lem.) Engl. (1879)
Caladium bicolor var. mirabile (Lem.) Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor f. neumannii (Lem.) Engl. (1879)
Caladium bicolor var. neumannii (Lem.) Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor var. pellucidum (DC.) Kunth (1841)
Caladium bicolor var. perrieri (Lem.) Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor f. perrieri (Lem.) Engl. (1879)
Caladium bicolor var. pictum (DC.) Kunth (1841)
Caladium bicolor f. punctatissumum F.F.Stange (1862)
Caladium bicolor var. regale (Lem.) Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor f. regale (Lem.) Engl. (1879)
Caladium bicolor f. robustum Jonker in Acta Bot. Neerl. 8: 145 (1959)
Caladium bicolor subvar. rosaceum Engl. (1920)
Caladium bicolor var. roseomaculatum Engl. (1920)
Caladium bicolor var. rubellum (K.Koch & Fintelm.) Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor var. rubicundum Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor var. rubrivenium Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor var. sieboldii Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor var. splendens (K.Koch & Fintelm.) Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor splendens (K.Koch & Fintelm.) E.J.Lowe & W.Howard in Beaut. Leaved Pl.: t. 4 (1859)
Caladium bicolor f. splendens (K.Koch & Fintelm.) Engl. (1879)
Caladium bicolor var. stangeanum (K.Koch) Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor var. surinamense (Miq.) Engl. (1920)
Caladium bicolor var. transparens Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor var. vellozianum (Schott) Engl. (1879)
Caladium bicolor f. vellozianum (Schott) Engl. (1879)
Caladium bicolor var. vermitoxicum (Vell.) Stellfeld in Arq. Mus. Paranaense 8: 176 (1950)
Caladium bicolor f. verschaffeltii (Lem.) Engl. (1879)
Caladium bicolor var. verschaffeltii (Lem.) Engl. (1878)
Caladium bicolor f. wightii (Lem.) Engl. (1879)
Caladium bicolor var. wightii (Lem.) Engl. (1878)
Caladium brongniartii Lem. (1858)
Caladium camoensii Van Geert in Nursery Cat. (Auguste Van Geert) 78: 9 (1879)
Caladium cannaertii Verschaff. in Nursery Cat. (Ambroise Verschaffelt) 71: 2 (1862)
Caladium chantinii Lem. (1858)
Caladium chelsonii Van Geert in Nursery Cat. (Auguste Van Geert) 63: 3 (1868)
Caladium concolor K.Koch in Berliner Allg. Gartenzeitung 1857: 135 (1857)
Caladium connaertii Jacob-Makoy (1863)
Caladium curwadlii Engl. (1879)
Caladium devosianum Lem. in Ill. Hort. 1862: t. 322, f. 1 (1862)
Caladium discolor Bosse in Vollst. Handb. Bl.-Gärtn., ed. 3. 1: 545 (1859)
Caladium duchartrei Engl. (1879)
Caladium dussii Voss in Vilm. Blumengärtn., ed. 3. 1: 1162 (1895)
Caladium eckhartii Lem. ex Engl. (1879)
Caladium enkeanum K.Koch in Wochenschr. Gärtnerei Pflanzenk. 4: 267 (1861)
Caladium firmulum Schott in Oesterr. Bot. Wochenbl. 4: 417 (1854)
Caladium formosum Verschaff. in Nursery Cat. (Ambroise Verschaffelt) 72: 1 (1863)
Caladium gaerdtii K.Koch & Fintelm. in Wochenschr. Gärtnerei Pflanzenk. 1: 288 (1858)
Caladium griseoargenteum Engl. (1879)
Caladium haageanum K.Koch in Wochenschr. Gärtnerei Pflanzenk. 5: 136 (1862)
Caladium haematostigma (Kunth) F.F.Stange (1862)
Caladium hardii W.Bull ex J.Dix in Proc. Roy. Hort. Soc. London 2: 729 (1862)
Caladium hendersonii Engl. (1879)
Caladium hortulanum Bridsey in Cult. Aroids: 42 (1951)
Caladium houbyanum Engl. (1879)
Caladium houlletii Lem. in Ill. Hort. 1858: 59 (1858)
Caladium jacquinii Ten. in Index Seminum (NAP, Neapolitano) 1833: 13 (1833)
Caladium ketteleri Engl. (1879)
Caladium kochii K.Koch (1862)
Caladium kramerianum K.Koch ex F.F.Stange (1862)
Caladium laucheanum K.Koch (1861)
Caladium leopoldii Engl. (1879)
Caladium lilliputianum André in Rev. Hort. (Paris) 67: 250 (1895)
Caladium lilliputiense Rodigas in Ill. Hort. 1895: 363 (1895)
Caladium lindenii F.F.Stange (1862)
Caladium macrophyllum Lem. (1862)
Caladium marginatum K.Koch & C.D.Bouché in Index Seminum (B, Berolinensis) 1854(App.): 6 (1855)
Caladium marmoratum L.Mathieu ex Bosse in Vollst. Handb. Bl.-Gärtn., ed. 2. 5: 74 (1854)
Caladium martersteigianum K.Koch ex F.F.Stange (1862)
Caladium medioradiatum L.Linden & Rodigas in Ill. Hort. 37: 51 (1890)
Caladium mirabile Lem. in Ill. Hort. 1863: t. 354 (1863)
Caladium mooreanum Engl. (1879)
Caladium neumannii Lem. (1858)
Caladium ottonis F.F.Stange (1862)
Caladium pallidinervium Engl. (1879)
Caladium pallidum K.Koch & C.D.Bouché in Index Seminum (B, Berolinensis) 1853(App.): 13 (1853)
Caladium pellucidum DC. in Rapp. [Not.] Pl. Rar. Genève 4: 38 (1829)
Caladium perrieri Lem. (1858)
Caladium pictum DC. (1829)
Caladium punctatissimum F.F.Stange (1862)
Caladium punctatum F.Dietr. in Neu. Nachtr. Vollst. Lex. Gärtn. 2: 192 (1826)
Caladium purdieanum Schott in Oesterr. Bot. Z. 9: 38 (1859)
Caladium pusillum K.Koch in Fl. Serres Jard. Paris, sér. 2, 3: 110 (1858)
Caladium regale Lem. (1862)
Caladium reichenbachii F.F.Stange (1862)
Caladium roseum F.F.Stange (1862)
Caladium rougieri Verschaff. in Gard. Chron. 1864: 414 (1864)
Caladium rubellum K.Koch & Fintelm. (1858)
Caladium rubricaule Lem. in Fl. Serres Jard. Paris, sér. 2, 3: 109 (1858)
Caladium rubrovenium Verschaff. (1861)
Caladium sagittifolium Sieber ex Engl. (1879)
Caladium sanguinolentum Van Geert in Nursery Cat. (Auguste Van Geert) 66: 7 (1870)
Caladium schaelleri W.Bull ex J.Dix (1861)
Caladium sieboldii Engl. (1879)
Caladium sororium Schott (1859)
Caladium splendens K.Koch & Fintelm. (1858)
Caladium splendidens Veitch ex J.Dix in Proc. Roy. Hort. Soc. London 2: 372 (1862)
Caladium spruceanum Schott (1859)
Caladium stangeanum K.Koch (1861)
Caladium strangeanum K.Koch ex F.F.Stange (1862)
Caladium surinamense Miq. in Index Seminum (AMD, Amstelodamensis) 1853: 3 (1853)
Caladium thelemannii Verschaff. (1863)
Caladium thripedestum Lem. (1858)
Caladium vandenheckei Verschaff. (1863)
Caladium vellozianum Schott in Bonplandia (Hannover) 7: 163 (1859)
Caladium verschaffeltii Lem. (1858)
Caladium wagneri Engl. (1879)
Caladium wallisii F.F.Stange (1862)
Caladium wightii Lem. in Ill. Hort. 1861: 294 (1861)
Xanthosoma sylvestre Bello in Anales Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat. 12: 114 (1883)

PUBLICATIONS

Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & Strong, M.T. (2005). Monocotyledons and Gymnosperms of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 52: 1-415.

Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & Strong, M.T. (2012). Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98: 1-1192.

Akoègninou, A., van der Burg, W.J. & van der Maesen, L.J.G. (eds.) (2006). Flore Analytique du Bénin: 1-1034. Backhuys Publishers.

Almeida, V.R., Temponi, L.G. & Forzza, R.C. (2005). Araceae da Reserva Biológica da Represa do Grama - Descoberto, Minas gerais, Brasil. Rodriguésia; Revista do Instituto de Biologia Vegetal, Jardim Botânico e Estaçao Biologica do Itatiaya 56: 127-144.

Arruda Pontes, T., Moreira de Andrade, I. & Alves, M. (2010). Flora da Usina São José, Igarassu, Pernambuco: Araceae. Rodriguésia; Revista do Instituto de Biologia Vegetal, Jardim Botânico e Estaçao Biologica do Itatiaya 61: 689-794.

Aung, Y.L., Aung, M.H., Tan, Y. & Jin, X. (2025). An updated checklist of vascular plants of Myanmar. PhytoKeys 261: 135-364.

Baksh-Comeau, Y., Maharaj, S.S., Adams, C.D., Harris, S.A., Filer, D.L. & Hawthorne, W.D. (2016). An annotated checklist of the vascular plants of Trinidad and Tobago with analysis of vegetation types and botanical 'hotspots'. Phytotaxa 250: 1-431.

Boulvert, Y. (1977). Catalogue de la Flore de Centrafrique 2(2): 1-94. ORSTOM, Bangui.

Brunel, J.F., Hiepo, P. & Scholz, H. (eds.) (1984). Flore Analytique du Togo Phanérogames: 1-751. GTZ, Eschborn.

Catarino, L., Sampaio Martins, E., Pinto-Basto, M.F. & Diniz, M.A. (2006). Plantas Vasculares e Briófitos da Guiné-Bissau: 1-298. Instituto de investigação científica tropical, Instituto Português de apoio ao desenvolvimento.

Chang, C.S., Kim, H. & Chang, K.S. (2014). Provisional checklist of vascular plants for the Korea peninsula flora (KPF): 1-660. DESIGNPOST.

Figueiredo, E., Paiva, J., Stévart, T., Oliveira, F. & Smith, G.F. (2011). Annotated catalogue of the flowering plants of São Tomé and Príncipe. Bothalia 41: 41-82.

Fosberg, F.R. & Sachet, M.-H. (1987). Flora of the Gilbert Island, Kiribati, Checklist. Atoll Research Bulletin 295: 1-33.

Gosline, G., Bidault, E., van der Burgt, X., Cahen, D., Challen, G., Condé, N., Couch, C., Couvreur, T.L.P., Dagallier, L.M.J., Darbyshire, I., Dawson, S., Doré, T.S., Goyder, D., Grall, A., Haba, P., Haba, P., Harris, D., Hind, D.J.N., Jongkind, & al. (2023). A Taxonomically-verified and Vouchered Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Republic of Guinea. Nature, scientific data 10, Article number: 327: [1]-[12].

Govaerts, R. & Frodin, D.G. (2002). World Checklist and Bibliography of Araceae (and Acoraceae): 1-560. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Govaerts, R. (1999). World Checklist of Seed Plants 3(1, 2a & 2b): 1-1532. MIM, Deurne.

Hammel, B.E. & al. (2003). Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica 2: 1-694. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.

Hokche, O., Berry, P.E. & Huber, O. (eds.) (2008). Nuevo Catálogo de la Flora Vascular de Venezuela: 1-859. Fundación Instituto Botánico de Venezuela.

Idárraga-Piedrahita, A., Ortiz, R.D.C., Callejas Posada, R. & Merello, M. (eds.) (2011). Flora de Antioquia: Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares 2: 1-939. Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín.

Lisowski, S. (2009). Flore (Angiospermes) de la République de Guinée. Scripta Botanica Belgica 41: 1-517.

Morat, P. & Veillon, J.-M. (1985). Contributions à la conaissance de la végétation et de la flore de Wallis et Futuna. Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle. Section B, Adansonia 7: 259-329.

Nelson Sutherland, C.H. (2008). Catálogo de las plantes vasculares de Honduras. Espermatofitas: 1-1576. SERNA/Guaymuras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Pandey, R.P. & Dilwakar, P.G. (2008). An integrated check-list flora of Andaman and Nicobar islands, India. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 32: 403-500.

Plunkett, G.M., Ranker, T.A., Sam, C. & Balick, M.J. (2022). Towards a checklist of the vascular flora of Vanuatu. Candollea 77: 105-118.

Sharief, M.U. (ed.) (2024). Flora of India 28: 1-764. Botanical Survey of India.

Sosef, M.S.M. & al. (2006). Check-list des plantes vasculaires du Gabon. Scripta Botanica Belgica 35: 1-438.

Stevens, W.D., Ulloa U., C., Pool, A. & Montiel, O.M. (2001). Flora de Nicaragua. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 85: i-xlii, 1-2666. Missouri Botanical Garden.

Sykes, W.R. (2016). Flora of the Cook Islands: 1-973. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Hawaii.

Vikraman, R.R., Pandurangan, A.G. & Thulasidas, G. (2008). A study on the garden escaped exotics of Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 32: 765-781.

Welsh, S.L. (1998). Flora Societensis: 1-420. E.P.S. Inc. Utah.

VERNACULAR NAME

Bengali: রংধনুর পাতা
Chinese (simplified): 花叶芋 - 五彩芋
Chinese (traditional): 五彩芋 - 彩葉芋
Danish: Elefantøre
English: Heart of Jesus, Angel Wings, Rainbow leaves
French: Songe fleur
Hindi: इंद्रधनुषी पत्ते
Indonesian: Keladi merah, Keladi hias, Keladi, Daun pelangi
Japanese: カラジウム
Java: Kluwung, Godong kluwung, Sari asih, Sriasih
Khmer: ស្លឹកឥន្ទធនូ
Lao: ໃບໄມ້ສີຮຸ້ງ
Malayalam: Varnachembu
Nepali: इन्द्रेणी पातहरू
Pashto: د رینبو پاڼې
Polish: Kaladium dwubarwne, Obraźnica dwubarwna
Portuguese: Tinhorão
Russian: Каладиум двухцветный
Sinhala: දේදුනු කොළ
Slovak: Kaládium dvojfarebné
Spanish: Oreja de elefante, Banderilla sudamericana
Tamil: வானவில் இலைகள்
Thai: บอนสี - สาวน้อยประแป้ง - อิเหนา
Urdu: اندردخش کے پتے
Vietnam: Lá cầu vồng

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