Philodendron

( fil - uh - DEN - druhn )

At-A-Glance Information

This genus of tropical plants include species which need regular water to thrive. They can be grown outdoors or indoors in bright, indirect light. These plants are native to the tropical Americas and are prized for their handsome foliage. Use Philodendron shrubs in mixed beds or borders to add greenery and a tropical feel to landscapes or as foundation plantings. They can also be grown on living walls or in containers on walkways and patios. Outside of tropical and subtropical regions, they are commonly grown as houseplants. Take care when planting these tropicals in the landscape or keeping them as indoor houseplants, as plant parts are toxic to humans and pets if ingested.

Philodendron Species and Varietals

Philodendron is in the plant family Araceae, and includes somewhere around 500 distinct species of plants. Plants in this genus are closely related to those in Monstera (Swiss Cheese Plant), Epipremnum (Pothos), Anthurium (Flamingo Flower), and Alocasia (Elephant Ears). The genus name is derived from the Greek words philo- (meaning love or affection), and -dendron (meaning tree). The best growing zones for Philodendron are USDA hardiness zones 10-12. Outside of their preferred climate, they are grown as indoor or greenhouse specimens. To find your zone, click here: Zone Map.

Philodendron appendiculatum (Güembé)
These plants are native to jungles, wetlands, and moist forested areas in South America. They produce very large, green leaves and reddish-green stems. Stems put out long, adventitious roots. Indoors, they can reach up to between 3 and 13 feet tall and 1 to 3 feet wide and are typically grown on a moss pole to support their vertical growth.

Philodendron bipinnatifidum (Philodendron selloum) (Split Leaf Philodendron, Lacy Tree Philodendron, Selloum, Horsehead Philodendron, Tree Philodendron, Guaimbé, Cut Leaf Philodendron)
Reaches 6-15 feet tall and wide, with a single upright trunk that leans as the plant matures. Leaves reach three feet long and are held at the end of three foot long stalks. Outdoors, these plants can reach up to 10-15 feet tall and wide at maturity. Indoors, they remain much smaller, generally at about 6 feet tall and 8 feet wide. This species is considered invasive in Florida and Hawai'i in the United States as well as several Pacific Islands.

Philodendron crassinervium (Thick-Veined Philodendron, Strap-Leaf Philodendron, Crassus Philo)
These plants are native to Brazil, and produce lance-shaped green leaves that reach up to 3 feet long. The midvein of leaves is used to store water for periods of drought during the dry season, behaving similarly to succulents. It has a climbing growth habit, and produces adventitious roots at nodes. Spathes are white with dark red shades towards its base. Outdoors, these plants can reach up to 12 feet tall and as wide, but indoors, they are kept around 3-6 feet tall.

Philodendron domesticum (Spadeleaf Philodendron, Elephant Ear Philodendron, Burgundy Philodendron)
These plants are commonly grown as houseplants or greenhouse specimens, and leaves can reach up to 22 inches long. Individual plants reach up to 3-6 feet tall indoors. This species is considered weedy and aggressive in tropical regions, including Florida and Hawai'i in the United States and South Africa.

Philodendron erubescens (Blushing Philodendron, Red-Leaf Philodendron)
These robust, evergreen climbing plants reach up to 20 feet tall or long, and produce flowers that are deep red and fragrant. They bloom in summer and fall. Hardy down to 59 degrees Fahrenheit. Leaves are green and arrow-shaped. This species is considered invasive in Hawai'i and southern Florida in the United States. There are many different cultivars of this species, including:

'Black Cardinal'
With dark green foliage that has reddish undersides.

'Birkin'
With cream to light yellow striping on leaves.

'Burgundy Princess'
With deep burgundy-red new foliage that ages to dark green.

'Green Emerald'
With green foliage and reddish-purple stems.

'Green Princess'
With green foliage and stems.

'Imperial Green'
This cultivar has deep green, glossy leaves.

'Imperial Red'
With reddish-pink bright new foliage that ages to true green,

'McColley's Finale'
With green leaves with yellowish midribs and veins. New foliage is golden-green.

'Moonlight'
With yellow-green to chartreuse new foliage and reddish stems.

'Pink Princess'
With bronze-green to green foliage marked with pink hues. Maroon stems.

'Prince of Orange'
With reddish-orange to pinkish new foliage that matures to green. Foliage has pink-orange midribs.

'Red Emerald'
These plants have very glossy green foliage and bright magenta stems.

'Rojo Congo'
These plants produce lance-shaped dark green to reddish foliage and red stems.

'White Princess'
With white and green variegated foliage in various patterns.

'White Wizard'
Green foliage is marked with white.

Philodendron giganteum (Chinny Leaf, Elephant Ear, Giant Philodendron, Giant Elephan Ear)
These plants are native to the Caribbean and South America, and were first described in 1856 by Heinrich Wilhelm Schott. Leaves are large and glossy green, and individual plants reach up to between 4 and 5 feet tall indoors. Outdoors, plants reach up to 10 to 15 feet tall with leaves three feet long. The main cultivar of the species is 'Blizzard', with white, mint, and green marbled foliage. This species is considered invasive in Hawai'i and Florida in the United States as well as the Caribbean, Asia, and South Africa.

Philodendron hastatum (Silver Sword Philodendron, Silver Sword Plant, Spade-Leaf Philodendron)
These plants produce arrowhead-shaped to lance-leaf foliage that has a silvery sheen to it (especially in younger leaves). Individual plants reach up to 20-30 feet tall and about 2 feet wide. Indoors, they are more likely to top out around 10-15 feet. The species is native to the Atlantic Forest region of southeastern Brazil.

Philodendron hederaceum (Philodendron scandens) (Heartleaf Philodendron, Velvet Leaf Philodendron)
This species of Philodendron is very popularly cultivated for the houseplant trade, and forms an evergreen climber that reaches up to 10-20 feet tall. It is native to tropical rainforests of Central America, the Caribbean, and regions of South America. Leaves are green and heart-shaped. Varietals include 'Brasil' (with lime-green variegated foliage), 'Lemon Lime' (with light chartreuse foliage), and 'Micans' (with bronzey new foliage). Heartleaf Philodendron is considered invasive in the Hawaiian Islands and Florida in the United States.

Philodendron squamiferum (Hairy Philodendron, Red Bristle Philodendron)
These rare plants produce dark green deeply lobed foliage and reddish-pink stems. It has a climbing growth habit. Stems are covered with striking, fuzzy red bristles. These plants reach up to 6-15 feet tall and 1-3 feet wide indoors. Individual leaves can reach up to 2 feet long.

Philodendron wendlandii (Birdnest Philodendron)
A foot tall and twice as wide; leaves are lance-shaped and is a great tough indoor foliage plant. Individual plants form basal clumps of upright green leaves that can reach 12-18 inches long.

Philodendron xanadu (Thaumatophyllum xanadu) (Xanadu Philodendron, Winterbourn Philodendron)
This species is smaller and bushier than Philodendron bipinnatifidum, and reaches 3 feet tall and 5 feet wide. It forms clumps when grown along the ground. Leaves are green, glossy, and divided.

Caring for Philodendron

Take care when planting these tropicals in the landscape or keeping them as indoor houseplants, as plant parts are toxic to humans and pets if ingested. Plant Philodendron in a spot in the garden that receives morning light; these plants do not do well in direct sun. Choose a space in the garden that has some protection from strong winds, which can damage foliage and blooms. They are hemiepiphytic plants, and need loose, well-draining soil to perform at their best. An ideal substrate mix for Philodendron plants is 30% orchid bark, 30% coco coir or peat moss, 20% perlite, and 10% worm castings or compost. Water every few days as plants are becoming established, and lessen to watering once every 1 or 2 weeks at maturity. As a general rule of thumb, water when the top inch or two of soil feels dry to the touch.

Fertilize yearly in early springtime with an application of 2 inches of compost around the base of plants. Pull mulch back before applying, work the compost gently into the soil a bit, water it in, and then replace mulch. To prune, cut off yellow leaves as they appear. If the plant loses too many of its lower leaves to still be attractive, simply chop off the top and allow it to regrow. Aerial roots can be pushed down into the soil if they are long enough or be cut off of the plant. Provide a climbing structure like a moss pole to support plants as they grow vertically. These plants will grow along the ground and form a nice groundcover in the absence of a vertical climbing structure, but they can also be trained to grow up arbors or trail over the sides of containers or hanging baskets. In their native environments, these plants can survive for centuries. In garden cultivation, they typically survive for decades.

Growing Philodendron in Containers
Container cultivation of Philodendron plants allows for them to be brought inside to overwinter in cooler zones. Choose a container that has adequate drainage holes and that is at least two inches larger in diameter than the nursery pot. Use well-draining potting soil to fill in the bottom, and then place the plant in the container and fill in more soil around the outside of the root ball, being careful to not pack it down too much. An ideal substrate mix for Philodendron plants is 30% orchid bark, 30% coco coir or peat moss, 20% perlite, and 10% worm castings or compost. Water new plantings regularly as they establish a strong root system. At maturity, these plants still like to have some moisture in the soil around their roots, but like to have the top 1-2 inches of soil dry out completely between waterings. Every few years, check to see if the plant is outgrowing its pot. Choose a new pot that is about two inches larger with sufficient drainage holes, and repot. In cool zones, bring the container indoors or into a greenhouse during the winter, and place it back into the garden again when temperatures remain above 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Growing Philodendron Indoors
Philodendron plants are commonly available at many plant nurseries and other retailers. Because they are native to tropical and subtropical areas, they are commonly grown indoors as houseplants or in greenhouses in many regions around the globe. Choose a container that has adequate drainage holes, and place it in an area that receives medium to bright indirect light. An ideal substrate mix for Philodendron plants is 30% orchid bark, 30% coco coir or peat moss, 20% perlite, and 10% worm castings or compost. Water new plantings regularly as they establish a strong root system. At maturity, these plants still like to have some moisture in the soil around their roots, but like to have the top 1-2 inches of soil dry out completely between waterings. Clean dust from leaves when it accumulates. To prune, cut off yellow leaves as they appear. If the plant loses too many of its lower leaves to still be attractive, simply chop off the top and allow it to regrow. Aerial roots can be pushed down into the soil if they are long enough or be cut off of the plant. Provide a climbing structure like a moss pole to support plants as they grow vertically. Every few years, check to see if the plant is outgrowing its pot. Choose a new pot that is about two inches larger with sufficient drainage holes, and repot.

Propagation

Philodendron plants are very easy to propagate by cuttings. To complete this process, follow the steps below:

Propagating Philodendron by Cutting

Gather your materials. You'll need a clean, sanitized, sharp pair of garden shears, rooting hormone, a pencil, and a 3-inch pot filled with well-draining compost or other organic material. If you don't have any potting medium on hand, you can make some by mixing together equal parts potting soil, perlite and orchid bark.
Choose the plant that you'd like to propagate. Ensure that this plant has had a good watering the night before, as this will improve the chances your cutting will take root. Take multiple cuttings from your plant that are about 3-6 inches long and remove all but the top 3-4 leaves from the cutting. Then, place the cutting(s) in water, making sure that none of the leaves remaining on the cuttings are touching the water. Place your container or glass in an area that receives bright, indirect light.
Your cup or container should be kept in warm, sunny conditions indoors (and not in direct sunlight) for the next few weeks.. Replace water daily. After about two to three weeks have passed, your cutting should be rooted. When roots reach about an inch long, your cutting is ready to be planted
Keep your new plant in an area with bright light (though not direct sunlight) and temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure that the soil stays moist, but not wet, until the next spring, when you can transplant it to its new home. Ensure that the last frost of the year has occurred before doing this, as it can seriously damage your new shrub.

Problems and Pests

Certain Philodendron species are considered invasive in some regions; see the species descriptions above for more information. Check with local authorities before planting. Philodendron plants are bothered by common pests such as: