What kind of plant is this?

Search: desk plants

Why: I recently moved to a window seat on the west side of my office. At about 3:30 every day, the sun gets over the top of the building and sets my whole desk on fire. At least the ocean is pretty.

Anyway, I got a plant, but I don't know what it is or how to take care of it. All the lady told me was to "be careful; sun that hot will burn anything in its path." It has longish green leaves with points, and the centers of some of them are yellow or white with speckles.

Answer: It's a dieffenbachia, aka "dumb cane"! I think!

(I first thought it was an aglaonema, but I realize now that I was wrong. Dead wrong.)

The dumb cane needs:

• Moist soil, so water frequently or mist (check)
• Moderate to low lighting (erm)
• To be within 5-8 feet of a window (...)

No problem; I can just move it to the other side my desk when the sun shows up. My desk is unreasonably long, I think even longer than my body. And let's be honest: it will be dead soon no matter what I do. The only plant we've been able to keep alive at home is the growth shooting out of an old onion in the fruit bowl.

Who wants to suggest a different kind of desk plant that I can leave in the full sun of a west-facing window?

Source: Sterling Gardens (Neenah, WI), Houseplant Care Tips

The More You Know: Like many houseplants, the dieffenbachia is poisonous to dogs. You know what else is poisonous to dogs? Beef jerky. Bella chewed through a bag of it the other night and spent all of yesterday barely able to lift her head (except to diarrhea).