Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Anchomanes giganteus (Anchomanes giganteus)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called giant anchomanes, West African arum.

More about anchomanes giganteus

About Anchomanes giganteus

Anchomanes giganteus · also called giant anchomanes, West African arum · tropical

Anchomanes giganteus is a towering tropical African aroid, even more imposing than A. difformis, producing one immense, intricately divided leaf on a tall, spiny, marbled stalk from a massive underground rhizome. A seasonal grower from West and Central African forest, it dies back fully in the dry season. Its sheer scale makes it a dramatic specimen for large warm conservatories.

Cold limit: USDA 10-12 (frost-tender; store dormant rhizome warm and dry) · RHS H1b (20-32°C)

Watch for — Edge scorch and tattering: Dry air and draughts shred the big blade. Raise humidity and shelter from moving air.

What anchomanes giganteus's hardiness rating actually means

Anchomanes giganteus is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Its RHS rating of H1b means: Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season. On the US scale that maps to USDA 10-12 (frost-tender; store dormant rhizome warm and dry) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 10 °C (sustained cold below this is damaging). Anchomanes giganteus has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for anchomanes giganteus as it gets too cold:

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches.
A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover.
Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.

Can anchomanes giganteus go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually.
Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C.
It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when anchomanes giganteus can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

Anchomanes giganteus hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is anchomanes giganteus cold hardy?

Anchomanes giganteus is not cold hardy. It is a tropical houseplant that dies if it is left out through frost — there is no zone where it overwinters outdoors in a UK or cold-US climate. Indoor-only in almost every home. Anchomanes giganteus can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-12 (frost-tender; store dormant rhizome warm and dry)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature anchomanes giganteus can survive?

What hardiness zone is anchomanes giganteus?

Anchomanes giganteus is rated USDA 10-12 (frost-tender; store dormant rhizome warm and dry) and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can anchomanes giganteus survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 10 °C, in shade or dappled light, hardened off gradually. Bring it back indoors well before the first autumn frost — do not wait for a frost warning, move it when nights drop toward 10-12 °C. It will never overwinter outside in a temperate climate; the indoors is its winter home, full stop.

What happens to anchomanes giganteus below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 10 °C, growth stalls and the leaves start to show cold stress — dark, water-soaked, or yellowing patches. A single light frost blackens the foliage; a hard freeze kills the whole plant, roots included, and it does not recover. Even a cold, draughty windowsill or an unheated porch in winter can be enough to damage it permanently.