i bought this plant at the local lowe's and thought it was p. bipinnatifidum. upon discussion with some friends, it was mentioned that there are some differences that might mean it's not this particular plant. specifically there are striations on the petioles and unusual tertiary veining. is it just too juvenile a form to confirm the id or is it actually something else?
I was allowed to see these photos earlier today. I'd like to show you a better close-up of both the striations (lines running along the axis) on the petiole as well as the tertiary venation (vein structure of the minor veins) of Joclyn's plant. These are magnified versions of her photos. These just don't look normal to me for Philodendron bipennatifidum and I personally suspect some hybridization. As is reported by Dr. Simon Mayo of the Royal Botanic Garden Kew in London, Philodendon bipennatifidum is one of the most common hybrid parents in the world of horticulture. This plant strongly appears to be a tissue cultured specimen since there are multiple plants in a single pot. I can clearly see two plants with one Meconostigma appearing stem in the last photo and Joclyn says there are quite a few other "pups". I would doubt at the size of this specimen the "pups" are natural offspring of a single parent plant but instead multiple tissue cultured starts in a single pot. The company that grew the plant is known to sell tissue cultured specimens. Upon close examination of larger photos provided by Joclyn I am hesitant to say this is a species plant. I'd like to hear other opinions.
Personally, I would go with the "it's too juvenile argument"...I once had an aroid that I thought would become P. undulatum due to (1) the labels from the seller; and (2) the entire but sinuate foliage of the juvenile plant, but as the plant grew older it developed pinnatifid leaves and is most probably P. bipinnatifidum. Also, I am not too sure what is meant by "unusual" venation and "striations" of the petiole. I have two specimens of P. bipinnatifidum and both show (more or less) longitudinal striations along the petioles and the same flurry of small veins along the underside of the leaves. P. bipinnatifidum is a very variable aroid, and probably has many hidden cryptic species (witness Eduardo's elevation of P. lundii and P. mello-barretoanum to species from P. bipinnatifidum after population studies), so you never know though.
I'd also wait until it put out adult leaves, and probably also an inflorescence, to make a determination. As both of you point out, P. bipinnatifidum is highly variable and a common hybrid parent.
thanks for the input!! okay, then. what's the best way to get this to a point where it's producing adult leaves? this species will climb, right? and that's usually the best way to promote development in philodendron...so, how do i go about getting this one to climb (since it's currently only exhibiting a clumping behaviour)?
I've found that the growth rate of these are very dependent on the environment. I have one specimen that is more than 10 years old, but which did not have strong stem growth until very recently. Good light, some fertilizer, and a rather tropical weather tends to make them do much better (I live in NJ, and can't provide good light and heat for most of the year) Unlike the other two subgenera of Philodendrons, P. bipinnatifidum and its ilk (meconostigmas) are arborescent and can stand on their own for awhile. http://www.blueboard.com/pahatan/gambar/p_bipinnatifidum_img31.htm http://www.blueboard.com/pahatan/gambar/p_bipinnatifidum_img14.htm http://www.blueboard.com/pahatan/gambar/p_bipinnatifidum_img34.htm http://www.blueboard.com/pahatan/gambar/p_bipinnatifidum_img19.htm Given a nearby pole, or the unfortunately Palm or other tree, they may start climbing though, using their adventitious roots: http://www.blueboard.com/pahatan/gambar/p_bipinnatifidum_img11.htm And they are quite capable of existing up in the tree tops. This one sits 30 m above the ground: Notice the amazingly strong roots that hang all the way to the ground. http://www.blueboard.com/pahatan/gambar/p_bipinnatifidum_img36.htm
Thanks guys. I had compared the photos to highly magnified photos of two other plants and could not see the characteristics I spoke about. I guess we will all be waiting awhile for this plant to grow. By the way, I also have a specimen that is more than 10 years old and it has never produced an inflorescence even though the stem (trunk) is quite thick. It does take awhile. Thanks!
what gorgeous specimens!!! my little plants are a long, long way from being so spectacular...not even the beginnings of a 'trunk' situation at the moment. i'm not to far from you, asj, so, have the same basic conditions you have. i think i'll leave them outside for the summer - that'll give them a bit of a head start before i bring them in for winter. although, my plant room is open to weather conditions during the summer months, so would be about the same as being outside. maybe i'll put one outside and the other in and see which does better. i appreciate everyone's input...and, i'll keep everyone posted on how these plants (not that i split out the horribly rootbound plants) are doing!
Those roots coiled around the support has caused me to term them "prehensile roots"; I have a meconostigma hybrid doing that on a stalk of bamboo, and the roots are really coiled neatly around the culm, as though wrapped very carefully. LariAnn Aroidia Research
