Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Pseudodracontium lacourii (Pseudodracontium lacourii)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Lacoeur's pseudodracontium, African giant arum.

More about pseudodracontium lacourii

About Pseudodracontium lacourii

Pseudodracontium lacourii · also called Lacoeur's pseudodracontium, African giant arum · tropical

Pseudodracontium lacourii is a tropical Southeast Asian tuberous aroid, closely allied to Amorphophallus, grown for its single tall, dragon-spotted stalk and large, finely divided umbrella-like leaf. It produces a slim greenish hooded inflorescence, then rests as a dormant tuber. Give it warmth, humidity, dappled shade and rich, free-draining soil with a dry rest period.

Cold limit: USDA 10-11 (frost-tender; grow under glass or indoors in most temperate regions) · RHS H1b (18-29°C)

Watch for — Cold damage: Frost-tender and chill-sensitive; temperatures near or below 10°C harm the tuber. Keep it warm year-round, especially during dormancy.

What pseudodracontium lacourii's hardiness rating actually means

Pseudodracontium lacourii 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 (frost-tender; grow under glass or indoors in most temperate regions) — 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). Pseudodracontium lacourii has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

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

Pseudodracontium lacourii hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is pseudodracontium lacourii cold hardy?

Pseudodracontium lacourii 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. Pseudodracontium lacourii can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-11 (frost-tender; grow under glass or indoors in most temperate regions)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature pseudodracontium lacourii can survive?

What hardiness zone is pseudodracontium lacourii?

Pseudodracontium lacourii is rated USDA 10-11 (frost-tender; grow under glass or indoors in most temperate regions) and RHS H1b — Sub-tropical — a normal warm home is fine, but it cannot go outside in a cool season.

Can pseudodracontium lacourii 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 pseudodracontium lacourii 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.