Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Drop Tongue Plant (Silver Schismatoglottis) (Schismatoglottis 'Silver')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Drop Tongue Plant, Silver Schismatoglottis, Drop Tongue, Silver Drop Tongue.

More about drop tongue plant (silver schismatoglottis)

About Drop Tongue Plant (Silver Schismatoglottis)

Schismatoglottis 'Silver' · also called Drop Tongue Plant, Silver Schismatoglottis · tropical

The Drop Tongue Plant (Schismatoglottis 'Silver') is a clumping tropical aroid grown for its silvery-patterned foliage. It thrives in bright-to-medium indirect light, evenly moist but never soggy soil, and humidity above 40 percent. Like all aroids it is toxic to cats and dogs, containing insoluble calcium oxalate crystals; keep it out of reach.

Cold limit: USDA 10-12 (grown as a houseplant elsewhere; not frost hardy) (18-27C)

What drop tongue plant (silver schismatoglottis)'s hardiness rating actually means

Drop Tongue Plant (Silver Schismatoglottis) 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 10-12 (grown as a houseplant elsewhere; not frost hardy) — 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). Drop Tongue Plant (Silver Schismatoglottis) has no frost tolerance at all — it is an indoor plant in any climate with a real winter.

Concretely, for drop tongue plant (silver schismatoglottis) 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 drop tongue plant (silver schismatoglottis) 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 drop tongue plant (silver schismatoglottis) can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H1c figure above.

Drop Tongue Plant (Silver Schismatoglottis) hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is drop tongue plant (silver schismatoglottis) cold hardy?

Drop Tongue Plant (Silver Schismatoglottis) 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. Drop Tongue Plant (Silver Schismatoglottis) can only live outside year-round in genuinely frost-free climates (roughly USDA 10-12 (grown as a houseplant elsewhere; not frost hardy)); everywhere else it is a houseplant that summers out at most.

What is the minimum temperature drop tongue plant (silver schismatoglottis) can survive?

What hardiness zone is drop tongue plant (silver schismatoglottis)?

Drop Tongue Plant (Silver Schismatoglottis) is rated USDA 10-12 (grown as a houseplant elsewhere; not frost hardy) and RHS H1c — Warm-temperate — can summer outdoors but must come in well before the first frost.

Can drop tongue plant (silver schismatoglottis) 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 drop tongue plant (silver schismatoglottis) 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.