Leland's leaf looks similar to mine, except that his is arising from a cutting taken from a plant much older than my plant. His leaf has more mature characteristics such as the thicker look and the hint of bluish color. Thanks for posting the pic as it makes a good reference. Once my plant is confirmed to be this species, let me know if you wish to use any of the photos I am compiling as a record of the growth process. So far, mine is throwing one leaf about every two weeks. Noting that Leland is growing his plant under 50% shade, that may be one reason why his is growing slowly. The native habitat, plus my experience so far, suggest that this plant prefers more sun than shade. LariAnn
Thanks for the feedback. I'm a long way from getting the page done but always try to keep notes along the way. I'll be in touch with both you an Airlan. You should see my computer desktop! I put all the info into folders as I gather it and they are literally all over the screen of my computer! Maybe someday I'll catch up.
I thought you might like to read Leland's response to my latest note: I have other plants that are in the full sun and they still are slow. Sometimes they do not grow much even with liberal doses of steer manure. In it's Bahia habitat, Philodendron saxicola often grow on cliffs or in crevasses, with a complex hydrology...so there may be more underground water available than surface water, which is seasonal and sparse. I have seen these next to river courses and waterfalls with very long roots that may extend into the cracks seeking water. Most of the plants are in hot sun, although the photoperiod may vary depending on the topography and solar orientation. Roberto Burle-Marx had one on a large rock without much soil, but with the long roots in soil. Another plant was in partial shade near a Clusia tree and growing on a rock outcrop. Both were very slow and one could barely see them grow from year to year. Mine was a propagation that Roberto made from his plants...which is a trick in itself. Cuttings are nearly impossible to root. Aloha, Leland
Update on the seedling I grew from a seed that was supposed to be P. saxicola: The plant has grown enough now to verify that it is not P. saxicola as previously hoped. Although morphologically similar to P. bipinnatifidum, it is now showing reddish main veins on the underside of the newest leaf. All is not lost, however, because now I have three seedlings grown from seed collected from P. saxicola in South America by Joep Moonen, sent to me via Steve Lucas. Thanks to both of them for their generosity! Therefore, I will continue my P. saxicola chronicle with these three plants. LariAnn Aroidia Research
Glad they are growing! I know there are others that follow this thread that would be interested in the progress of your seedlings. What you are doing is important to understanding these species since they are often known to be difficult to grow. Any tips you learn and can safely share would be much appreciated.
Anyone interested in Philodendron saxicola can find some great photos on botanist David Scherberich's Araceae web pages: tp://www.aroidpictures.fr/GENRES/philodendrono-z.html David is a botanist working in France and has freely shared a great deal of information with this writer as well as granted the use of his photographs to the pages of my website. In fact, you can find many beautiful plant photos on David's site: http://www.aroidpictures.fr/pictures.html More discussion of plants in the Philodendron subgenus Meconostigma can be found on Airlan San Juan's Blueboard Meconostigma website: http://www.blueboard.com/pahatan/ Airlan has contributed a great deal of info on Meconostigma species to aroid discussions including this thread but nearly enough! Where have you been hiding Airlan?
Thanks to Steve (photopro), I now have a true P. saxicola from a seed he forwarded to me. I've also learned a great deal about what it takes to keep one of these alive and growing. Tip: you need a greenhouse to keep the temps up and the rain off, and you must avoid leaving sprinkled water on the leaves at all costs.
Oh, and in case anyone wonders about the plant I had mentioned much earlier in this thread, the one that came from a seed lot labeled "P. saxicola", it was not P. saxicola, but what it is, is somewhat of a mystery. Take a look at the leaf color in this picture . . .
Leland Miyano asked that I post this response. Steve Dear Steve, Aloha. Could you please post my reply below? I think it is important to keep the UBC Araceae thread active. Thank you. I have grown Philodendron saxicola for many years. I have it in the ground and in pots. I have propagated them from cuttings, which takes a certain technique, or from seeds. Both vegetative propagation and seed culture have been a learning experience. My greatest threat to seedlings are snails and slugs and millipedes. They either eat the new growth or they are a vector for fungal disease. Mice and rats and seed eating birds are threats to the seeds. I do not protect my plants from the rain, and I live in a high rainfall area. I do not get freezing temperatures. That may be a factor, but, in the higher elevation habitats, this species experiences colder temperatures than my area of Hawaii. Roberto Burle Marx grew this species at his Sitio outside of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It also experiences colder weather than lowland areas in Hawaii. His plants were also exposed to the copious rainfall. My soils are slightly acidic and the plants, while they adapt to this condition, do appreciate a bit of lime. I also have terra preta soils or the new word...biochar soils that I am experimenting with. These tend to be more acidic, so I always add lime to these mixes, which the plants appreciate. There is much to learn about the culture of these plants, but, everyone will have variations depending on their regional conditions. The photo posted on LariAnn's original seed grown plant sent as Philodendron saxicola, has genetics of Philodendron bipinnatifidum, but, is unusual in the reddish emergent leaf color. LariAnn, could you post a detail photo of the intravaginal squamules of this plant? Other people interested in Meconostigma, in Florida, should keep an eye out for Philodendron lundii. It resembles Philodendron bipinnatifidum but, there are differences that Eduardo Goncalves has published which separate it out. Aloha and Happy New Year again, Leland
Re: Philodendron saxicola Here is how my P. saxicola looked in late May. It has grown rather quickly, throwing about a leaf a week. I've been fertilizing the plant frequently with Miracle Gro soluble fert at 1 tsp per 5 gallons (much weaker than label strength) at least 3 times per week. Also, the Philo I showed previously, the one with the reddish new emerging leaf, has set fruit from a hybridization. What is interesting is that the berries are orange. This is notable because the P. bipinnatifidum fruit I have set in the past consisted of white berries, not orange. By contrast, my P. sp. "dwarf speciosum", P. sp. "Coral Gables dwarf" as well as P. corcovadense all set fruit with orange berries.