are polka-dot plants toxic or cham safe???

[erik775]

i bought a ficus from home depot today and it came with a polka-dot plant planted in the bottom of it and it looks really nice i wanted to know if it was safe to leave it down there???i saw it on the safe plants list but when i soogled a pic of it it gave me a differnt plant...

 

[carol5208]

i bought a ficus from home depot today and it came with a polka-dot plant planted in the bottom of it and it looks really nice i wanted to know if it was safe to leave it down there???i saw it on the safe plants list but when i soogled a pic of it it gave me a differnt plant...

is it yellow with green polka dots? It is probably a variation of a Croton. Can you post a pic? Check and see if Crotons are on the safe plant list. I am just guessing here without a pic.

 

[ChameleonsInMyHouse]

if it is what google search showed me, then yes IMO, it is safe. i've used those many times in live planted vivs for crested geckos, pygmy chameleons and red eye tree frogs. i wouldnt understand why they would be used in a bigger area though, they dont tall.

no FYI, i say it is safe because i've never had an animal ingest it, so if ingested i say no comment, but deffinately is a nice esthetic in a viv.

 

[JenniferAlicia]

They can get pretty tall, like 18"

 

[ChameleonsInMyHouse]

after how long? maybe i've just housed them in minimal conditions because i havent ever realy seen much height growth say in 3 months that ive had them in one tank

 

[DGray]

Aok

Polka-dot plants, also known as freckle plants, and "splash"' currently, are _Hypoestes phyllostachya_ . Older books always list it as H. sanguinolenta. Natives of Madagascar originally.

It's safe. Too weak to stand up to any traffic, though.

It comes in many color forms: red, many shades of pink, and white. The degree of spotting varies too. There are spotted forms of croton, but usually their spots are yellow and the plants are bigger and heavier in all respects.

I find the flowers of these new Hypoestes to be homely - I cut the stalks back mercilessly to keep a low bushy plant with larger leaves. YMMV