Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Gonatopus boivinii (Gonatopus boivinii)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Boivin's gonatopus, kneed arum.

More about gonatopus boivinii

About Gonatopus boivinii

Gonatopus boivinii · also called Boivin's gonatopus, kneed arum · tropical

Gonatopus boivinii is an East African tuberous aroid grown for its finely divided, almost fern-like compound leaves carried on speckled, knee-jointed petioles. It emerges from a dormant tuber in the wet season, building an airy, lacy canopy, then dies back to rest during the dry months. It suits collectors of unusual caudiciform and tuberous aroids.

Cold limit: USDA 10-11 (keep frost-free; store dormant tuber warm and dry) · RHS H1b (18-30°C)

Watch for — Failure to re-sprout: Usually a chilled or desiccated tuber, or premature watering. Store warm and dry, and water only when growth resumes.

What gonatopus boivinii's hardiness rating actually means

Gonatopus boivinii 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 10-11 (keep frost-free; store dormant tuber 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). Gonatopus boivinii has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for gonatopus boivinii 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 gonatopus boivinii 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 gonatopus boivinii can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1b figure above.

Gonatopus boivinii hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is gonatopus boivinii cold hardy?

Gonatopus boivinii 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. Gonatopus boivinii can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-11 (keep frost-free; store dormant tuber warm and dry)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature gonatopus boivinii can survive?

What hardiness zone is gonatopus boivinii?

Gonatopus boivinii is rated USDA 10-11 (keep frost-free; store dormant tuber warm and dry) and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can gonatopus boivinii 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 gonatopus boivinii 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.