Hi, everyone. I'm new to this forum, and I'm hoping someone here can id a plant for me. I was given this plant a few years ago from a friend who's former office mate grew it. But my friend didn't know what kind of plant it was when she gave it to me, and the poor plant has suffered for my ignorance. Okay, it's time to stop ignoring the plant and start giving it proper care. Here's what I know: 1. It's a non-flowering vine plant. 2. A fully grown leaf is about 10 inches long and about 5 inches wide; however, the leaf tapers like an arrowhead. No, it doesn't look to be an arrowhead plant, as it is a vine and it doesn't have any white stripes. 3. The front or top side of each leaf is a deep green, but not a blackish green - not that dark. The back or underside of each leaf is a lighter green mixed with a purplish hue. The veins on each leaf are purplish-magenta. And the vine is alternately green, purple and wooden - not in stripes, but depending on the age of that portion of the vine. The leaf stems are the part that are mainly purplish. The leaf is shiny in the pic because I just rubbed it down with mayonaisse. It is not normally this shiny. This particular leaf was hanging on by a thread, so I pulled it to keep the rest of the plant from suffering or losing nourishment. Does anyone have any idea what kind of plant I'm dealing with here? If you have a name for it, then I can do the rest, as far as finding out how to take care of it goes. I'm just completely stumped on this, and any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
It is without at doubt a Philodendron, probably a hybrid. Plants from this genus often climb like a vine, and it does "flower", just not the way you think of a flower. Does this plant have red petioles? A petiole is the "stem" connecting the leaf to the "vine" which is actually a cane. It may be a hybrid form of Philodendron erubescens. There are many hybrid forms of that species. If not, it can be very difficult to determine the parent species. I don't immediately recognize the leaf as a known species, but could easily be wrong. These plants will eventually produce a spathe and spadix known scientifically as an inflorescence. The spathe is somewhat similar to the "flower" of a Peace Lily. Both are aroids. And all aroids produce an inflorescence. The flowers are very tiny and grow along the spadix which is the center portion of the inflorescence. Here's a link which will give you more information about Philodendron species: http://www.exoticrainforest.com/Grow or Growing Philodendrons.html
Thanks so much for such a quick reply!!! And in answer to your question, yes, the stems of the leaves that connect the leaves to the main vine of the plant are reddish-purplish. Now, you say it's a climber. Do you think I should trellis it? It's currently hanging like a dangling vine, and I'm wondering if that's hurting it. And when I think of philodendruns, I think of hanging plants. But I have trellises that aren't being used for anything right now. And if it will help this poor plant do better, I'd gladly put it in a bigger pot and let it climb all it wants. At any rate, PhotoPro, thanks a ton for pointing me in the right direction. The link you provided is especially appreciated. This plant has reinforced my opinion that the two beings that should not be gifted are animals and plants. But hopefully, your link will provide clues on how best to take care of this until-now neglected creature. Thanks!
Some Philodendron sp. do hang from the branches of trees in the rain forests of Central and South America. This group of plants (Philodendron sp) are only found in tropical America and portions of the Caribbean. Some people will try to convince you they are found in Asia as well but that is simply not true. Some are now found on many Pacific islands but were imported from tropical America. The vast majority are either epiphytic or hemiephytic. An epiphyte is simply a plant that grows on another plant. A hemiepiphyte is one that can either climb a tree from the ground up or be placed on the limb of a tree in a bird's droppings and then drop downwards to eventually root in the soil. Bird's eat the seed berries of Philodendron sp. (and other aroid species) and thus ingest the seeds and leave them everywhere they fly in their droppings. An epiphyte does not ever have to have soil to grow! It may simply grow attached to the tree and receives all its moisture from rain water. They receive very little nutrients, only that which is caught up in rain water as a result of wind storms. But almost all will also grow in soil, and that is the way we seem to prefer to grow them. So, should you give it something to climb? Certainly! The best option is a sphagnum moss totem which can be found on the internet or at a local nursery. The taller the better! A lot of growers simply use a piece of rough wood. Either works well. Use wire ties to attach the plant to the wood or totem until it firmly attaches itself. That will take some months but eventually it will firmly grab hold. But there is nothing wrong, or bad for the plant, in allowing it to trail. Many species grow up a tree and then hang from almost every branch. Many change leaf shapes when they do! You'll simply see nicer foliage if you allow it to climb. The plant's leaves tend to stay much smaller if it is not allowed to climb. I don't think this one is a pure Philodendron erubescens species. But if it is, the leaves can eventually grow quite large. The hybrid forms, and there are a bunch of them with names like 'Red Emerald' and many more tend to stay smaller. As for potting, if you give it at least a 3 gallon pot it should do fine. I often give mine much larger pots since I love to see them morph into their adult forms. Use a soil mixture which some call a "jungle mix". I make my own by mixing approximately 50% Miracle Grow moisture control mix with 20% peat moss, 20% orchid potting media, and 10% Perlite™. I prefer to use Schultz orchid mix since it has a lot of charcoal in the bag. The charcoal helps keep the soil "sweet". Keep the soil damp, just not soaking wet. Most Philodendron sp. prefer moderately bright light, just not direct sunlight. The reason they climb trees is in an attempt to reach the sunlight. Keep it near a window, just not where it will be hit with direct, hot sunlight. It will probably outlive you! Be sure and avoid cold. Philodendron sp. do not like temps below 55 degrees (F). If you keep this in an office your normal room temp should be fine. And don't over fertilize the plant. Most good growers use the term fertilize "weakly, weekly". Use about 20% or so of the manufacturers recommended amount. Just use it more often. Good growing!
