Shrub to 5 m high. Leaves stalked; blade wedge-shaped to obovate, elliptic, obcordate, rarely linear-lanceolate, 25-320 mm long, 7-70 mm wide; tip acute, longpointed, obtuse; base cordate, wedge-shaped, retuse; margins weakly wavy. Fruits roundish, 5-7 mm long. Seeds ovoid, 4.8-5.5 mm long. Syn. C. variegatum var. pictum (Lodd.) Müll. Arg.
A great number of named and unnamed cultivars is available; these differ in leaf width, margin waviness, colour and variegation.
Pantropically cultivated, not known in wild.
Source: (2002). Euphorbiaceae. In: . Horticultural Flora of South-eastern Australia. Volume 3. Flowering plants. Dicotyledons. Part 2. The identification of garden and cultivated plants. University of New South Wales Press.
Codiaeum variegatum var variegatum 'America'
Leaf blade wedge-shaped to obovate, elliptic, obcordate, green, orange, red and yellow; margins straight or slightly lobed.
Codiaeum variegatum var variegatum 'Aucubifolium'
Leaf blade wedge-shaped to obovate, elliptic, obcordate, green with yellow mottling or totally yellow; margins straight or slightly lobed.
Codiaeum variegatum var variegatum 'Captain Kid'
Leaf blade linear-lanceolate, purple and red mottled, sometimes with yellow; margins straight or slightly wavy.
Codiaeum variegatum var variegatum 'Elegantissima'
Leaf blade wedge-shaped to obovate, elliptic, obcordate, opens yellow, matures as green with yellow markings; margins straight to wavy.
Codiaeum variegatum var variegatum 'Iceton'
Leaf blade wedge-shaped to obovate, elliptic, obcordate, green and yellow mottled, or totally yellow; margins straight to wavy.
Codiaeum variegatum var variegatum 'Mamay'
Leaf blade linear-lanceolate, green, orange, red and yellow; margins slightly to strongly wavy.
Codiaeum variegatum var variegatum 'Norma'
Leaf blade wedge-shaped to obovate, elliptic, obcordate, burgundy, green, orange, red and yellow; margins straight.
Codiaeum variegatum var variegatum 'Petra'
Leaf blade wedge-shaped to obovate, elliptic, obcordate, burgundy, green, red and yellow; margins wavy (oak leaf-like).
Codiaeum variegatum var variegatum 'Stardust'
Leaf blade linear-lanceolate, green with yellow dots and mottling; margins straight.
