Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Roxburgh's Typhonium (Typhonium roxburghii)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Roxburgh's Typhonium, Dwarf Voodoo Lily.

More about roxburgh's typhonium

About Roxburgh's Typhonium

Typhonium roxburghii · also called Roxburgh's Typhonium, Dwarf Voodoo Lily · tropical

Roxburgh's Typhonium is a diminutive Asian aroid reaching only 10–15 cm, producing small glossy triangular leaves and velvety deep maroon spathes repeatedly through summer. Best grown in containers in a sheltered semi-shaded spot, it requires a warm, frost-free dormancy in winter. A curious collector's plant with a brief, pungent floral scent that attracts pollinators.

Cold limit: USDA 9-11 · RHS H1c (18–28°C growing; dormant tubers stored above 5°C)

Watch for — Tuber rot from overwatering: The most common problem, especially in winter. The small tubers desiccate less easily than they rot. Keep dormant tubers almost completely dry in frost-free conditions. During the growing season, allow the compost surface to dry slightly between waterings.

What roxburgh's typhonium's hardiness rating actually means

Roxburgh's Typhonium 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 H1c means: Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost. On the US scale that maps to USDA 9-11 — 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 5 °C (and never frost). Roxburgh's Typhonium has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for roxburgh's typhonium as it gets too cold:

Below about about 5 °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 roxburgh's typhonium go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °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 roxburgh's typhonium can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1c figure above.

Roxburgh's Typhonium hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is roxburgh's typhonium cold hardy?

Roxburgh's Typhonium 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. Roxburgh's Typhonium can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 9-11); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature roxburgh's typhonium can survive?

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 5 °C (and never frost). Roxburgh's Typhonium has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

What hardiness zone is roxburgh's typhonium?

Roxburgh's Typhonium is rated USDA 9-11 and RHS H1c — Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost.

Can roxburgh's typhonium survive winter outside?

It can holiday outdoors in summer once nights are reliably above 5 °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 roxburgh's typhonium below its minimum temperature?

Below about about 5 °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.