The attractive and long-lived painted drop-tongue or Chinese evergreen comes from the Philippines and it can eventually make a large specimen plant. The leaves are thick and leathery, grow to 1 ft. (30 cm) long and are gray-green, edged olive-green.

The variety A.c. ‘Silver Queen’ has dark gray-green leaves, heavily marked with silvery white arid cream. The flowers, which are not particularly showy, consist of a spathe, 2 in. (5 cm) long, with a central spadix and are produced in summer or early fall.

Size: Height to 3 ft. (90 cm).

Light: Cool light.

Temperature: Normal room; mini mum 60°F (15°C).

Moisture: Keep thoroughly moist from spring to fall, slightly drier in winter.

Feeding: Give standard liquid fertilizer monthly in spring and summer.

Propagation: Using a knife, sever a basal shoot (bearing 3—4 leaves and preferably some roots), just below soil level in spring. Pot up and enclose in a plastic bag. Rooting should take 6—8 weeks.

Special needs: As the plant ages, il tends to form a stout trunk, scarred by old leafstalks, with a cluster of 10—15 leaves at the top. This can be disguised by grouping with other plants.