Dumb cane
Dieffenbachia seguine
- Wants
- Bright indirect
- Tolerates
- Bright direct down to low
- Difficulty
- 2/5
- Pets
- Not safe
Why it wants that
It evolved under a rainforest canopy where light arrives filtered and never as a direct beam, so it is built to harvest dim, diffuse light and has no defence against a raw sun-shaft.
Too little light
Growth all but stops: new leaves arrive slowly, and the ivory blotching washes back toward plain green as the leaf spends its budget on chlorophyll instead of pattern.
Too much
The leaf blades bleach to a washed-out yellow-green and scorch into dry patches where the beam lands; NCSU's own culture note is that the plant needs 'protection from direct sunlight'.