Caladium Chinook

Caladium Chinook is a compact, tuberous perennial grown for its striking, heart-shaped foliage. The leaves feature a soft salmon-pink centre with prominent rose-pink veins and an irregular green margin, forming a semi-translucent display that shifts slightly in tone with age. New leaves emerge tightly furled, gradually revealing their full colouration as they expand. This cultivar is part of the Caladium hortulanum group and remains relatively low-growing, with a mature height of around 4050cm and a spread of 2030cm, making it well-suited for pots and small spaces.

Native to tropical South America, particularly the Amazon basin in Brazil and adjacent areas, Caladiums in cultivation have been extensively hybridised for colour and growth form. Chinook maintains an upright, clumping habit and performs best indoors when kept warm and humid. It enters a dormancy period in cooler months, during which leaves may die back temporarily.

Native to: Tropical South America, particularly Brazil and surrounding lowland rainforest regions.

Water: Keep the soil consistently moist during the active growing season, allowing the top 1/4 of the pot to dry slightly between waterings. Reduce watering significantly when the plant enters dormancy.

Light: Prefers bright, filtered light indoors. Avoid direct sunlight, which can scorch the thin leaves. Can tolerate light shade but leaf colour may become less intense.

Humidity: Requires high humidity (above 60%) for best growth. When humidity exceeds 70%, this plant is also suitable for terrarium cultivation due to its compact size and leaf structure.

Temperature: Needs warm indoor conditionsideally between 2027C. Growth slows below 18C, and tubers should be kept above 15C during dormancy.