I Speak For The Trees

Dieffenbachia spp. growing at the Municipal Gardens, Puyo, Pastaza Province.  The gardener told me that this plant was taken from the forest near Canelos, about an hour downriver from Puyo; this would make me think that it’s a species, rather than a cultivar, of Dieffenbachia; it’s a variegation pattern that I have only seen in Pastaza.  Sisters to this plant were a great deal taller, reaching to the second balcony of the enclosed garden.

In the wild, Dieffenbachia are found growing in nearly full shade in the understory of the forest.  The most common areas to encounter them are almost constantly moist, with loose, free-draining soils.  In cultivation, Dieffenbachia are normally grown in full sun, which seems to stunt the size of the leaves.

These plants are commonly called “Dumb Cane” for their calcium oxalate content - chewing on them is not advisable, a commonsense precaution with all aroids.  They’re extremely popular houseplants in temperate zones, and have been for at least 100 years.  In Ecuador, they’re regarded as attractive landscaping plants, and are used medicinally as a cure for the bite of bullet ants (called “conga” here) - the sap is applied topically to the site of the bite to reduce the pain associated with the bite.