Species · genus Aspidistra · Asparagaceae

Cast Iron Plant

Aspidistra elatior Blume

Also known as: Barroomplant

Growth habit

perennial or rhizomatous geophyte

Native range

Japan

Reference · A. elatior

Cultivars of A. elatior

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under A. elatior yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

Aspidistra elatior is a rhizomatous geophyte from the shaded forest floors of Japan, storing reserves in its rhizome and tolerating deep shade where few plants persist. Give it low to moderate indirect light, away from direct sun that scorches its broad leaves, and let the top inch or two of mix dry before watering, as its rhizome rots if kept consistently wet. It grows slowly and forgives neglect more readily than overwatering.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 10-21d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Low light

Water

≈ every 21 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

7–24 °C

Soil mix

Standard well-draining potting mix

Propagation

Division of the rhizome

Fertilizing

Weak balanced feed occasionally in the growing season

Growth rate

Slow

Flowering

Rarely flowers indoors; small purple blooms hidden at soil level

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Non-toxic to cats & dogs

Cast-iron plant — ASPCA non-toxic to cats, dogs, horses. This is where toxicity lives: every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 10-21d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ASPCA

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Cast Iron Plant yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.