Species · genus Homalomena · Araceae

Red Shield Homalomena

Homalomena rubescens (Roxb.) Kunth

Also known as: Maggie · Queen of Hearts · Pink Homalomena

Growth habit

perennial or subshrub

Native range

Assam, Bangladesh, East Himalaya, Myanmar

Reference · H. rubescens

Cultivars of H. rubescens

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

No named cultivars catalogued under H. rubescens 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.

Homalomena rubescens is a tropical understory aroid from the humid forests of the East Himalaya and Myanmar, so it wants warmth, steady but not soggy moisture, and shelter from direct sun. Water when the top inch of mix has dried, and keep it in bright indirect light. Its forest-floor origins mean it appreciates elevated humidity and never wants to sit in standing water.

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 7-12d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 12 days

Humidity

High

Temperature

16–29 °C

Soil mix

Loose, well-draining aroid mix rich in organic matter

Propagation

Division of the rhizome clump

Fertilizing

Balanced liquid feed monthly in the growing season

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Rarely flowers indoors; grown for its red-flushed foliage

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Toxic to cats & dogs & humans

Araceae typically contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which irritate the mouth and digestive tract if chewed. 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 7-12d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (family inference)

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Red Shield Homalomena 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.