Dieffenbachia davidsei Croat & Grayum – Costa Rica.
Dieffenbachia crebripistillata Croat – Panama.
Dieffenbachia costata Klotzsch ex Schott – Colombia, Ecuador, Peru.
Dieffenbachia concinna Croat & Grayum – Costa Rica, Nicaragua.
Dieffenbachia burgeri Croat & Grayum – Costa Rica.
Dieffenbachia bowmannii Carrière – Colombia, northwestern Brazil.
Dieffenbachia beachiana Croat & Grayum – Costa Rica, Panama.
Dieffenbachia aurantiaca Engl – Costa Rica, Panama.
Dieffenbachia antioquensis Linden ex Rafarin – Colombia.
– Brazil, Paraguay Corrientes + Misiones Provinces of Argentina The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families lists the following species: Dieffenbachia was named by Heinrich Wilhelm Schott, director of the Botanical Gardens in Vienna, to honor his head gardener Joseph Dieffenbach (1796–1863). The English names, dumb cane and mother-in-law's tongue (also used for Sansevieria species) refer to the poisoning effect of raphides, which can cause temporary inability to speak. Species in this genus are popular as houseplants because of their tolerance of shade. ĭieffenbachia is a perennial herbaceous plant with straight stem, simple and alternate leaves containing white spots and flecks, making it attractive as indoor foliage. Some species are widely cultivated as ornamental plants, especially as houseplants, and have become naturalized on a few tropical islands. It is native to the New World Tropics from Mexico and the West Indies south to Argentina. Dieffenbachia oerstedii at Chicago Botanic Gardenĭieffenbachia / ˌ d iː f ɪ n ˈ b æ k i ə/, commonly known as dumb cane or leopard lily, is a genus of tropical flowering plants in the family Araceae.