Phildodendron

A variable family of tropical plants many being vines up to 100 feet in height. Most Philodendrons are very attractive either as tropical landscape plants or as house plants. They are mostly hardy in climates zone 10 and warmer and grow best in partial shade and humus-rich, light, moist, fertile, well drained soil. Propagation is by leaf bud and stem tip cuttings in summer.



* photos taken on 4th of July 2010 @ U.S. Botanical Gardens, D.C.


* photos taken on Jan 3 2011 @ Deerfield Beach Arboretum, Florida






Philodendron auriculatum
A vine with huge oblong dark green leaves with paler veins up to 36 x 14 inches in size. Native to Costa Rica and hardy north to zone 10

Philodendron barro
A vine with 3 lobed leaves up to 16 x 10 inches with the elliptic basal lobe up to 12 x 7 inches. Leafstalks up to 30 inches in length. Native to South America and hardy north to zone 10

Philodendron bipinnatifolia

* photo taken on 4th of July 2010 @ U.S. Botanical Gardens

* photo taken on July 17 2012 in Baltimore, MD

* historical archive photo

Philodendron cordatum
A large vine with cordate foliage up to 18 x 10 inches

Philodendron davan
A vine with huge cordate to ovate leaves up to 40 inches long that are orange brown at first turning to green. On the leaf undersides, the main veins are red-purple. Native to Peru and hardy north to zone 9.

Philodendron eichleri
Similar to P. selloum but with much larger deep scalloped edge drooping leaves up to
7 feet. Native to Brazil.

Philodendron erubescens
A rapid growing vine with ovate-triangular, cordate, glossy dark green leaves that are purple below and up to 16 inches in length. Leafstalks are purple.
Hardy north to zone 10
'Burgundy'
leaves flushed red above with red veins
'Golden Erubescens'
A vigorous climber with leaves gold tinted pink below when young
'Imperial Red'
A vine up to 20 feet tall with leaves red at first turning dark purple and shiny.

Philodendron evansii
A hybrid between P. selloum & P. speciosum that can reach up to 10 x 10 feet with huge dark green leathery leaves up to 5 x 2.5 feet! A rare but spectacular landscape plant that should be much more widely used.
Hardy north to zone 9. It is damaged at 27 F but its roots can survive as low as 15 F





Philodendron fendleri
A vine with triangular-ovate leaves up to 24 inches in length with leafstalks up to 36 inches in lenght. Native from Columbia to Venezuela.

Philodendron giganteum
A huge vine with stems up to 4 inches in diameter. The huge cordate-ovate or sagittate leaves reach up to 40 x 24 inches or rarely as large as 76 x 38 inches.
The foliage is luxuriant bright green.
Hardy zones 9b to 12.

Philodendron glaziovii
A high climber with leaves up to 18 inches in length

Philodendron hastatum ( Spadeleaf Philodendron )
Fast growing vine to 35 feet with dark green arrow shaped triangular leaves to 24 x 12 inches or rarely 36 x 18 inches. Hardy north to zone 10

Philodendron insigne
Grows with a short stem and erect spathulate leaves up to 40 x 9 inches. The thick leafstalks are up to 5 inches in length. Native to South America.

Philodendron leopardana
A vine with thick, shiny, dark green sagittate leaves to 40 inches in length with white ribs and red edges. The leafstalks and stems are red. Spaethe tinted red.


Philodendron mamei

* photo taken on 4th of July 2010 @ U.S. Botanical Gardens


Philodendron martianum
A vine with leathery lance shaped foliage up to 18 x 8 inches or very rarely 35 x 19 inches. Hardy north to zone 10b

Philodendron maximum
A vine with huge sagittate dark green leaves up to 54 x 29 inches with pale veins. The leafstalks are up to 40 inches in length. Native to Brazil.

Philodendron melanochrysum ( Black & Gold Philodendron )
A vine up to 20 feet in height with narrow ovate to sagittate leaves up to 40 x 12 inches that are coppery when young turning to velvety lustrous black green above with pale green veins. The leafstalks are up to 20 inches in length. Native to Columbia.
Like most Philodendrons, this one attaches itself to tree trunks with its aerial roots. Moderate growing to around 2 feet per year. Prefers light, well drained soil in partial shade.

Philodendron mellioni
Foliage up to 36 x 18 inches

Philodendron monstera oblique 'Swiss Cheese'

* photo taken on Aug 15 2014 @ Rawlings Conservatory, Baltimore, MD

Philodendron ornatum
Vine with foliage up to 24 inches

Philodendron 'Prince of Orange'

* photo taken on Aug 15 2014 @ Rawlings Conservatory, Baltimore, MD

Philodendron radiatum ( dubium )
Large foliage up to 36 x 28 inches

Philodendron sagittifolium
Vine with foliage shaped like Sagittaria up to 24 x 12 inches

Philodendron scandens
A fast growing vine that is hardier than most Philodendrons and has been known to reach 15 feet in height in Houston, Texas with no damage. Can exceed 40 feet in the tropics. One vine of 500 feet in length takes the world record for longest vine! The glossy dark green leaves are up to 18 inches in length ( 6 inches or less on juvenile plants )and the flower spathe is up to 8 inches.
Native to tropical rainforests from Mexico, Caribbean & southeast Brazil.

Philodendron selloum ( Fiddle Leaf Philodendron )
Reaching up to 10 feet or more rarely to 20 x 15 feet with a trunk diameter of 6 inches; this Philodendron grows with huge deeply-cut, glossy deep green leaves up to 60 inches in length. The leafstalks are up to 4 feet long. Its stems are thick up to 8 inches wide with aerial roots and it grows fast up to 6 feet per year.
The flowers are long greenish-white spaethes.
a very tropical looking plant that with great age it can become nearly tree like
One of the hardiest Philodendrons; it is very heat tolerant as well as drought tolerant. Tolerates as low as 25 F with no damage, freezes to ground and becomes perennial at 20 F and survives to 15 F. It may be possible to grow it as a perennial in zone 8a if cut to ground and heavily mulched during winter.
Grows well in sun or part shade however it may scorch in full sun in Mediterranean climates with dry air such as California and Santiago, Chile. Do not remove aerial roots. Fertilize regularly. Old leggy plants can be cut to ground in early spring for regrowth.
Native to tropical rainforests of southeast Brazil.

* photos taken on Jan 3 2011 @ Deerfield Beach Arboretum, Florida



* photo taken on Aug 3 2014 @ National Zoo, Wash., DC

* photo taken on Aug 15 2014 @ Rawlings Conservatory, Baltimore, MD

Philodendron speciosum
Up to 15 feet in height or more with huge cordate very shiny dark green leaves to 36 inches or more.

Philodendron wendlandii
Forms a clump of erect obovate leaves up to 36 x 8 inches with leafstalks up to 12 x 2 inches. Native to central America.
'Birdsnest'
thick vivid green leaves
'New Red'
leaves deep metallic red
'Tricolor'
foliage splattered cream & white

Philodendron 'Xanadu'
Forms a fast growing, dense foliage clump to 4 x 6 feet and forms no aerial roots. The dark green leaves up to 12 + inches in length are similar to P. selloum but are much deeper lobed. Hardy to 25 F

* photo taken on 4th of July 2010 @ U.S. Botanical Gardens


* photo taken on June 7 2020 in Elkridge, MD