Manihot esculenta ‘Variegated Cassava’

Variegated Cassava (Manihot esculenta 'Variegata') is grown for its leaves, not its flowers. Each one is deeply lobed like an open hand and splashed bright yellow along the veins, held out on slender red stems. It makes an upright shrub about 2m tall and 1.5m wide in a single warm season.

Why you'll love it

• Foliage that does the work of flowers. Yellow and green variegation plus red stems gives colour all season, with nothing to deadhead.
• Genuinely fast. A small plant can reach 2m in one warm season, so it fills a new tropical bed while slower shrubs are still settling in.
• Light, airy shape. The open habit and deeply cut leaves let light through, so it adds height without darkening the planting behind it.
• Easy to keep in bounds. A hard cut back in spring makes it reshoot stronger, so size is under your control.

Where it works best

Feature planting. One plant carries a tropical bed, especially against a dark green backdrop such as a palm, where the yellow reads brightest.

Pots and containers. A pot of 400mm or wider suits it, and container growing holds it near 1.5m. It is also the way to grow it outside the tropics, since the pot can move under cover.

Borders and layering. At the back of a mixed subtropical border it gives a mid height layer between groundcovers and taller palms.

Growing Variegated Cassava in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun to light shade, with the brightest variegation in sun. This is a tropical and subtropical plant that wants heat and humidity. It is frost tender, and in cooler gardens it will drop leaves and sulk over winter.

Soil. Rich, free draining soil with plenty of compost worked through. It resents heavy wet ground over winter, when growth stops and roots rot.

Water and feed. Water twice a week through the warm growing months and much less once growth slows. A complete slow release fertiliser in spring and midsummer keeps the leaves large and well marked.

Pruning. Cut it back hard to 30cm to 50cm in early spring, before the new season starts. It reshoots quickly and stays bushy. Wear gloves, because the cut stems bleed a milky sap that irritates skin.

What to expect when it arrives

Grown in two sizes: 125mm pots in packs of 10 and 175mm pots in packs of 6. Both are young plants with a few stems, not a finished shrub. Both sizes run on backorder at times, so check availability before planning a bed around it.

Expect some leaf damage on arrival and cut the worst of it off. Growth restarts quickly in warm weather and stalls if the plant lands in the cool season. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse plants for tropical climates.
• Compare other variegated plants.
• Learn how variegated foliage works and why it can revert.
• Read our guide to designing a tropical garden.

Common questions

Can I eat it?

No. Cassava is a food crop elsewhere in the world, but only after long processing, and the raw plant contains cyanogenic compounds. Treat this variegated form purely as an ornamental and keep it away from children and pets.

Will it grow in Sydney or Melbourne?

Not reliably in the ground. It is frost tender and needs sustained heat, so outside the tropics and subtropics grow it in a pot in the warmest position you have and move it under cover for winter.

Why has it dropped its leaves?

Cold is the usual reason. Growth slows and leaves thin out below about 15 degrees, and the plant recovers when warmth returns. Cut it back in early spring and it reshoots.