How to Grow and Care for Homalomena

Homalomena spp.

I like to live out my tropical dreams by bringing the lush, leafy greens of the rainforest into my home.

And there’s no better specimen for doing that than the magnificent homalomena, aka shied plant.

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A relative of other foliage favorites like philodendrons and Swiss cheese plants, shield plants have large, showy leaves that scream “I’m hanging out in the lush understory of rainforest on a gorgeous tropical island.”

As with their aroid relatives, they’re effortless to care for and liven up your space with their grand display. Outdoors, they can be cultivated in USDA Hardiness Zones 10 to 12.

Homalomena (home-a-low-mean-a) is a genus in the Araceae or aroid family, which also includes caladiums, monstera, and philodendrons.

Homalomena means flat moon from the Malaysian “homalos” for flat and “mene” for moon.

Actually, it’s a mistranslation of the Malay vernacular, but here we are. It’s certainly a good description of the large, round leaves.

There are about 160 species in the genus, but only a handful in cultivation.

H. expedita, H. philippinensis, H. rubscens, H. schismatoglottis, and H. wallichii are a few of the more common species grown as ornamentals or houseplants.

Most have ovate, cordate, or elliptical foliage that is large and waxy, which has earned them the common names of shield plant or queen of hearts.

The foliage is typically green, but might be variegated with cream or white, or even pinks or reds. Some species have a distinct anise-like scent.

Don’t try a sample of the leaves, though. Homalomena is toxic to humans and animals.

How to Grow Homalomena

Species in this genus are variable in terms of their growth habits, size, and shapes. Some are found growing wild in swamps, and others in drier, sunnier areas.

Generally, those species that we cultivate as houseplants prefer lots of moisture, rich, loamy soil, and moderate light.

Soil

First things first, you need a pot with drainage holes that’s about an inch larger than the root ball of your homalomena.

It should be filled with a rich, water-retentive potting medium. A product that contains perlite, sphagnum moss, or vermiculite will work.

I personally love FoxFarm Ocean Forest potting mixture.

It’s water-retentive and has lots of good stuff, like forest humus, earthworm castings, sphagnum moss, bat guano, and crab meal.

FoxFarm Ocean Forest

You can find FoxFarm Ocean Forest in 12-quart bags available via Amazon.

Water

Keep the soil moist at all times, or just let the top of the soil dry out between waterings.

The homalomena plants will start to droop a little when they need more water.

Try to water just before they start drooping, but if they start to flag a little bit, it won’t hurt them.

Be sure to empty any catchment pot or saucer that you have underneath the pot about 30 minutes after you water.

Light

If you move the plant too quickly, you might see burnt spots on the leaves.

Temperature

As tropical species, homalomena plants can’t abide frost or freezing temperatures.

Anything under 50°F for a prolonged period will cause yellowing foliage and a failure to thrive.

Ideally, you should keep yours in a spot that’s at least 70°F during the day and around 60°F overnight.

Fertilizing

Feed your homalomena every two or three weeks during the spring, summer, and fall.

Any mild, balanced houseplant fertilizer will do. My personal go-to is Dr. Earth’s Pump and Grow food.

It’s made using waste scraps from grocery stores and is the right balance for foliage houseplants.

Dr. Earth Pump and Grow

Pick up a 16-ounce bottle with a convenient pump at Arbico Organics.

Pruning

You don’t need to do much to maintain your homalomena.

Occasionally a leaf will be damaged, will change color, or will appear to be deformed. Sometimes your homalomena will start to take on a shape that you don’t like.

In these instances, you’ll want to break out a clean pair of scissors or pruners and give the plant a snip. You can do this any time of year.

Remove these and put the specimen in brighter light – gradually, as discussed above!

Be sure to wipe the leaves with a damp cloth every few months, or more often if your house is as dusty as mine is.

It’s difficult for the homalomena to photosynthesize if the leaves are covered in dust.

Repotting

As your homalomena grows, you’ll need to repot it in a container one size up. You should do this every few years until the specimen reaches its mature size.

When the homalomena reaches its mature size, you should freshen the potting soil every few years.

Cultivars to Select

There are dozens of Homalomena cultivars and hybrids on the market, all with similarly-shaped foliage and a similar growth pattern.

The difference lies in the leaf patterns or colors, and some are more upright while others have a more spreading growth habit.

Here are just a few of the more interesting options out there:

Black Velvet

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I love the look of black plants and there are several alocasias that have gorgeous matte black leaves. But I struggle to keep alocasias happy.

The leaves start out deep maroon when young before reaching their mature color. The stems are bright red. Don’t keep them in low light or the color won’t be as deep, however.

Camouflage

‘Camouflage’ is a particularly gorgeous H. wallisii cultivar.

The glossy leaves are heavily variegated with angular mottled patterns of dark, medium, and light green, with an acuminate form, which just means they are somewhat oval with a pointy tip.

You know that classic jungle camouflage? It definitely resembles that.

You can find ‘Camouflage’ in six-inch pots from Plants for Pets via Amazon.

Emerald Gem

If you want a classic-looking homalomena, ‘Emerald Gem’ is the one.

The spade-like leaves come to a rounded tip, with a classic emerald green hue. It’s sometimes referred to as the generic homalomena. It has a lovely dense, upright growth habit.

You can find ‘Emerald Gem’ available in six-inch containers via Walmart.

Mint

H. rubescens ‘Mint’ has the heart-shaped leaves characteristic of the Homalomena species, but it’s extra special thanks to the color of the foliage.

Young leaves are pink, taking on a temporary streaked green and pink look before settling into a matte, mint green hue when mature.

The stems that hold the leaves remain a pretty pink color throughout their lives.

Pink Splash

As if the heart-shaped foliage of this H. rubescens cultivar weren’t cute enough, the emerald green, glossy leaves are mottled with cream and pink on pink stems.

Mauro

H. wallisii ‘Mauro’ has light green or golden yellow leaves with deep green splotches at the margins and veins.

Selby

Most homalomena have somewhat glossy foliage, but ‘Selby,’ a H. wallisii cultivar, sports matte emerald green leaves with yellow-green centers.

The darker color lines the veins and margins of the shield-shaped leaves, with small splotches inside the lighter hue.

Star Dust

‘Star Dust’ has deep, dark green leaves splattered with spots and streaks of light gray-green. Staring at this one is like gazing at the night sky into the Milky Way.

Hiding underneath the cordate, or heart-shaped, foliage are faintly pinkish stems.

‘Star Dust’

Ready for some stargazing? Pick up a starter plant at Amazon.

Propagation

If you ask me, one homalomena isn’t enough. We need more!

You can propagate shield plants from cuttings and by division. Here’s how:

From Cuttings

Cuttings are a reliable and easy way to propagate homalomena.

1. Look for a healthy stem and cut the leaf off using a sharp, clean knife or pair of scissors just below a leaf node.
2. Stick the cut end into a four- to six-inch pot filled with a water-retentive potting mix. The stem should be buried a few inches deep so that it stays upright.
3. Moisten the medium and tent a little clear plastic over the container. You could also use a cloche. This helps keep the air humid around the plant.
4. Keep the soil moist and place the container in an area with bright, indirect light. Any direct light will overheat the plant, so avoid that.

Once new growth starts to form, remove the cloche and grow the new start as normal.

From Divisions

Once they become established and start growing, these plants can expand rapidly.

1. Either remove the plant from its container or, if it is growing in the ground, dig a section out without removing the whole plant.
2. Take it out of its container and gently tease apart a section with roots and stems.
3. Replant the original section and fill in around the roots with new potting medium. Plant the removed section in its own area.

If you don’t want to remove the homalomena, use a hori hori knife to dig a section out of the parent and gently wedge it up.

Fill in the hole you made with fresh soil and repot the removed section.

From Transplants

Whether you buy a potted specimen to transplant or you have a cutting that you grew in a container, eventually you’re going to want to move it into a different pot or into the ground.

To do this, gently remove the homalomena from the existing container and loosen up the roots a little.

You don’t need to get rid of all the dirt, but you do want to give the roots some room.

Place the root ball in the new container or hole, fill in around it with soil and water well. Add a bit more soil if the soil settles.

Managing Pests and Disease

I hope you won’t ever need this section, but no plant is totally immune to problems.

Let’s chat about the common pests to watch for.

Pests

The usual line up of houseplant pests will happily feed on your plant. We’re talking about aphids, mealybugs, and spider mites.

Aphids are a familiar foe for almost anyone who grows plants, whether indoors or out.

These small, sapsucking insects gather by the dozens (or hundreds!) to cluster on the stems and undersides of the leaves to use their sucking mouthparts to draw out the sap.

On top of that, they’re covered in a white, waxy coating. At a passing glance, they can look like fungal growth.

Our guide to managing mealybugs has more information.

Spider mites are tiny arachnids which you can’t see with the naked eye. What you can see is the fine webbing they leave behind. For spider mite control, check out our guide.

Disease

I love a houseplant that isn’t prone to all kinds of problems. Who doesn’t, right?

Homalomena is mostly only subject to root rot, and then only if you overwater or the soil is too compact, so the water can’t move through it.

Root rot causes the leaves to turn yellow and brown, and then eventually collapse.

Under the soil surface, the roots are turning rotten and mushy. If you catch it early enough, you can absolutely save your plant.

This involves cleaning up the roots and treating them with a fungicide like copper. Learn more about how to deal with root rot in our guide.

Reach for the Moon

Whether you’re trying to bring a part of the tropical life to your space or you just want some low-maintenance greenery to add some life to a spot that’s lacking, homalomena is the answer.

Shield plants look fabulous in decorative pots as part of a collection of houseplants.

Are you growing shield plants? If so, let us know in the comments section below which cultivar or species you have and why you love it.

Then, continue your houseplant adventures by checking out a few of our other guides next: