Common name: Philodendron
Family: Araceae, Arum
Height x width: vine, length varies with species and environment
Foliage: varies widely, generally leathery, glossy; plants from seed have a juvenile phase with leaves unlike those of mature plants
Flowers: spathes and spadices seldom seen in cultivation
Light: bright to moderate
Temperature:average to warm
Watering: moderate
Fertility: high prefered
Humidity: humid
Soil: average
Pests and Problems: mosaic virus, leaf spots, root rot, mealybugs, scales, spider mites
Growth habit, uses: foliage, many species for hanging, totems
Other interest: native to tropical American rain forests; from the Greek phileo meaning to love and dendron meaning tree, referring to its love for climbing trees; sap may irritate skin or cause severe discomfort if ingested. In 2018 researchers at Kew (UK) and in Brasil reclassified several species into the genus Thaumatophyllum, formerly only having one species (monotypic genus); as of 2020 there are now 21 accepted species in this genus (the former Meconostigma subgenus), including those below bipinnatifidum and xanadu; yet generally and in other resources as of 2020 you'll still find these species listed under Philodendron.
Other culture: do not prune aerial roots, rather direct back into soil
Propagation: tip or stem cuttings, air layer, seed
Species:
These are merely a few of the many named. Those marked * are most commonly seen as houseplants. The more common cultivars are listed, with others occasionally seen in commerce.
angustisectum (an-gus-ti-sec' tum)--ovate, reflexed leaves, pinnate with 16-32 slender finger-like lobes, 12-24" long, climber
*bipennifolium (bi-pen-nee-fol' ee-um)-- Fiddle-leaf Plant, ovate, reflexed leaves with 5 broad lobes, the central one longest, 12-18" long, climber
*bipinnatifidum
(bi-pin-nat-i-fi' dum)-- Tree
Philodendron, tree-like shrub with single, robust, erect stem;
long-stalked reflexed ovate leaves to 3' long, deeply lobed with
wavy margins (photo courtesy Clemson Univ.)
cordatum (cor-daa' tum)-- Heartleaf Philodendron, ovate to triangular leaves 12-18" long with heart-shaped base, fast growing climber
domesticum (do-mess' ti-cum)-- Elephant's ear, narrow triangular to arrow-shaped, reflexed leaves 18-24" long, wavy margins, climber
elegans (ell' eh-gans)-- Narrow Finger leaf philodendron, climber with short internodes, leaves quite dissected/highly pinnate into narrow finger-like lobes for a spidery appearance; leaves 1-2ft long and 1ft wide; may be confused with other species such as radiatum, tortum, lancerum
*erubescens (ee-ru-bess' cens)-- Red-leaf Philodendron, red-purple stems when young, ovate to triangular glossy dark green leaves 10-16" long, coppery red-purple beneath, sturdy climber; 'Burgundy' has reddish leaves, burgundy veins, red stem; 'Red Emerald' has red stems, dark green leaves with red veins below
hastatum (has-ta' tum)--climber with thick stem and
short internodes, leaves becoming more arrowhead-shaped with age
with two prominent back-facing lobes, bluish-green leaves except
for silvery in 'Silver Sword'; may be confused with domesticum
*hederaceum (hed-er-A' cee-um) -- (formerly scandens) Heartleaf Philodendron, rounded leaves with heart-shaped bases, reflexed, to 12" on mature plants and half than on juvenile, slender pointed tips, fast-growing climber, probably the most common species; f. micans has bronze leaves, reddish below; f. oxycardium has young bronzed green leaves
hybrids-- in recent years several hybrid
cultivars have been introduced and become popular. 'Likety
Split' has glossy green, deeply cut leaves on a clumping
plant. 'Little Hope' has deeply serrated leaves with age,
similar to 'Hope' only being a 1-2ft plant. 'Moonlight'
is clump forming, good in medium to low light, leaves emerging
bright green turning medium green with age. 'Pink
Princess' is a rare dark (blackish) leaved plant
with pink variegation; leaves emerge dark olive and turn toward
black with age; bright indirect light gives the best
color. 'Prince of Orange'
is quite popular and often found, the new leaves unfurling a
vivid orange and turning pale green when mature, with dark red
leaf stems; plants are upright to 2ft tall
(self-heading/non-vining) (photo courtesy Clemson Univ.)
imbe (im' bee)-- red-purple stems and long aerial
roots, ovate to arrow-shaped leaves to 14" long, parchment-like
texture, often flushed red below, climber with long aerial
root. 'Variegata' with white spotting or large blotches on
long, narrow leaves to 2ft long and 4-6in. wide; if allowed to
climb leaves tend to more spot than blotches, with more white if
plants are pruned to keep shorter
laciniatum: pedatum
melanochrysum (me-la-no-cry' sum)--Velour Philodendron, narrow ovate to lanceolate reflexed leaves to 3' long, velvety blackish with pale green veins; juvenile plants have smaller, coppery red leaves, climber
micans:scandens f. micans
oxycardium:hederaceum var. oxycardium
panduriforme (pan-dure' e-form)-- leathery shiny elongated (violin-shaped) leaves, swollen near the tips with a couple small lobes near the base; may be confused with bipennifolium which has more lobing
pedatum (pe-daa' tum)-- pinnate deep green leaves to 18" long, ovate to arrow-shaped, 5-7 narrow lobes, robust climber; 'Florida' is similar; 'Variegata' is white-streaked
scandens:hederaceum
selloum:bipinnatifidum
sellowianum:imbe
xanadu (za-na-du')--
shiny leathery leaves with 15-20 lobes, leaves up to 18in.
long and 14in. wide; plants are wider (3-5ft) than tall (2-4ft);
upright habit, often used and seen in So. Florida landscapes.
(photo courtesy Wikipedia, Piwaiwaka)
Return to Perry's Perennial
Pages | PSS121
course