This seems to be one of the few houseplants that I haven't managed to kill. In fact, it's positively thriving. It's been growing like crazy in the same 4" pot since I got it - it's now almost 2 feet tall. It doesn't seem to be affected by pests, disease or indoor heating. The leaves are a deep glossy green and new growth seems to be on pinkish, curly, tongue-like stems. Does anyone have any idea what this is? Thanks for your help!
I just want to say that your choice of a red background for the pic suits it perfectly--Love the shot! Photopro, with his vast knowledge of aroids, hopefully will be along with additional info on the name. It is a nice plant. Bill
Well, I do appreciate the vote of confidence but I'm stumped as well. It is certainly a philodendron but the leaf shape is common to a large number of species. The fact that it vines helps narrow it a bit but not enough to be certain. Can you give us a bit more information? Like, is the underside of the leaf burgundy or green or some other color? How old is the plant? Can you measure the distance between the internodes (that's the place where the leaves join the vine). And can you measure the leaves? Also, do the leaves feel like leather? That's called coriacious. Are they thick? Or are they thin? It appears to be shiny on the top. Is the bottom of the leaf matte? The thing that would help most would be a photo of the inflorescence but that would be asking for a lot!! Most philodendrons can be identified by the shape and color of the inflorescence (flower). Here's the big problem with a philodendron identification. Almost all philodendrons have a juvenile form, a mid adult form and an adult form. Some have many variations. Quite often the plant cannot be identified for certain until it reaches the adult stage. And it is rare in a private collection to have a philodendron reach the full adult stage. I've seen plants that look like that take on a very different morphology as they mature. That is the exact reason even botanists are often confused by philodendron species. Some philodendrons start out round, then grow long thin blades, then the blades pinnate (resemble a palm frond) and then develop lobes. I think that is why many serious collectors collect them! One that does ring a bell, depending on some of the answers to the questions above, is Philodendron smithii. I've got one that looks a lot like that. P. smithii is from Central America but as it climbs a host tree the leaves reach about 30 inches. Unless it has something tall to climb it often looks just like what you have now. You can find P. smithii on my webiste. Just look for the link to the plants in the collection. It resembles several in my collection but I just cannot be certain. But don't feel bad. I've got at least 20 to 30 philodendrons in my atrium I'm still trying to identify. Seems collectors spend as much time trying to figure out the species as they do trying to find them in the first place!
I just blew up your photo of the vine. I then saw it is red. There are several hybrid philodendrons with that characteristic. The most common species is Philodendron erubescens but the leaves are different. That species has been used to create quite a few hybrid varieties. I'm just guessing, but I'd venture it is one known as the 'Red Emerald' philodendron. That is not a species, it is one created by a hybridizer. Try looking that one up on the internet and see what you find.
