Codiaeum variegatum

Codiaeum variegatum is an evergreen shrub from the wet tropical forests of Malesia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Queensland and the islands of the south-west Pacific, where it grows up to 3 m tall. The wild form has plain green leaves; the plants sold as houseplants belong to more than 300 cultivars bred for thick, glossy leaves 5–30 cm long, patterned in yellow, orange, red, pink and purple, and shaped anything from broad ovals to narrow, twisted ribbons or deeply lobed blades. Linnaeus first named it Croton variegatus in 1753, and the old name stuck as its common name, although it now sits in a separate genus within the spurge family. Like many spurges it bleeds a milky latex when cut: the sap irritates skin and eyes, and every part of the plant is poisonous if eaten. Its colours are strongest in bright light kept out of hot midday sun, and too little light lets new leaves come in mostly green. It does best at 18–28 °C with steady, high humidity, and drops leaves readily when moved, chilled below about 15 °C or left to dry out — so it suits a large, stable terrarium better than a small one, with a spring trim to keep it compact.