Here is a photo of my young P. stenolobum. I really like the leaves as they look long already. Just wondering do they climb? Are they fast growing? How big can I expect the leaves to be when mature? The reason I ask is that I have a young Dracaena fragrans Massangeana that is about 5 ft and if it is a climber I would like to train it up that. I love this little Philo Thanks in advance Ed
ED , its a very fast grower up here , I got some up to 1m high trunks and seeding in about 5 years . It will wrap some roots around the Dracaena eventually.
Philodendron stenolobum is both a climber and a self header according to email exchanges with Dr. Eduardo Gonçalves in Brazil. This species is a Meconostigma which simply means it is a "self header". Some give that group a common name of "tree Philodendron". It is quite variable with numerous forms. Dr. Croat actually sent me a photo of one variation early this year and asked if I knew what it was. The only reason I did was due to a bunch of exchanges with Dr. Gonçalves. Eduardo is the botanist who wrote the scientific descripton. I have four distinct variations in my atrium and one looks nothing like the others. P. stenolobum is often sold as P. williamsii but Julius Boos jumped all over me for calling one of my plants P. williamsii. The true P. williamsii is quite distinct and very rare. But even that one has more than one form, one with glossy leaves and one with matte leaves. Both were on display at the IAS aroid show this year in Miami. Ron Weeks in Miami has worked with both forms of P. williamsii and several forms of P. stenolobum.
Thanks again for the info guys, much appreciated. Yes, in some parts over here it is known as P. williamsii also. Ed
Ed , here is one , I planted it about 8 years ago . Pic was taken after 4 years , at its first flowering . It has set seed several times now . It has climbed well up a large Bismarckia nobilis palm that is just seen in the lower right of this picture . These look better grown in full sun . The second picture is the narrower leaf form . Tree blown over in a cyclone snapped the trunk , and it had sprouted a few more shoots . Hopefully with more flowers this one might set seed . For some reason the broader leaf form just sets seed by itself .
Yeah I like that narrower leaf one as well, Mick. Do you know the grower on ebay situated at Mt Molloy? Ed
