All Philodendron sp. are aroids.  An aroid is a plant that reproduces by producing an inflorescence known to science as a spathe and spadix.  Many people think the spathe is a "flower".  It is not.  The spathe is nothing more than a specially modified leaf.  But if you explore the inflorescence, there are very tiny flowers.  They are found on the spadix at the center of the inflorescence.  The inflorescence, which is sometimes shaped like a tube, is made of several parts.  Chiefly the portion that appears to be the "flower" is known as the spathe and inside that is the spadix which somewhat resembles an elongated pine cone.  When ready to reproduce, the spadix produces both male and female flowers.  These are normally separated by a sterile region.  The tiny male flowers produce pollen and the tiny female flowers are designed to be receptive to pollen.  However, most are cleverly divided by nature to keep the plant from being self pollinated.  And the male flowers don't produce pollen at the same time the female flowers are receptive.  Nature's preferred method is to have insects pick up the pollen from one plant and carry it to another plant to keep the species strong. 

The majority of aroids require a specific insect to do the work of pollination.  If that insect is not present, it is unlikely the plant will be pollinated naturally.  In the case of Philodendron, that insect is often a small beetle.  If pollinated by the insect, the spadix can produce fruit which can vary in color from red to purple to green or white, or shades of these colors, and eventually produce a fruit berry containing seeds.  Those fruit are how the Philodendron reproduces itself once a bird eats the fruit or a seed falls to the ground.  Philodendron sp. can also reproduce from cuttings so long as a node where roots can form along the petiole (the shaft that supports the leaf), is present.  If a cutting with a good node is potted and kept damp, in most cases the plant will begin to produce roots and grow a new specimen.  Simply trying to pot a leaf won't grow anything!  There are a very few aroids which can reproduce by planting leaves, but Philodendron sp. are not in that group of species.

Some growers believe you must first place the node in water in order to allow it to root.  But many knowledgeable growers know you can simply place the petiole section with a good node(s)  in damp soil and it will root.  I've often taken nodes and simply laid them on their side, partially submerged in soil, and a new plant will begin to form.  Think about it!  In the rain forest there is no one around to cut the node, place it in a jar of water, and then pot it once it roots! When a cane falls to the ground in a storm, nature finds a way to grow new specimens.

An epiphyte is simply a plant that grows attached to another plant.  A hemiepiphyte is one that can begin life growing as a seed dropped on the ground and then find a host tree to climb, or the seed is placed on a branch in the dropping of a bird who has eaten the fruit .  Some can start life 20 meters (60 feet) or more up in the air and eventually drop roots all the way to the ground!  Before they drop their roots that far they normally remain relatively small but once the roots hit the soil, and the plant can pick up extra nourishment, it takes off and becomes enormous!  Other epiphytic forms can grow leaves that are one meter (3 feet) in size or larger. 

If you plan on growing a Philodendron it is wise to first learn just how the species you possess grows in nature and then try to duplicate that condition as best possible if you wish to experience the natural beauty of the specimen. 

Philodendron sp. also can assume many leaf shapes and sizes.  There is no such thing as a single leaf form for a Philodendron!  They are extremely variable.  Many people think all Philodendron just look like dime store "ivy".  In fact, many plants known as "ivy" are not Philodendron sp. at all!  But as you can easily see from the few photos on this page, a Philodendron has no set shape!  And within a single species, there is no set shape for the leaf as well.  Again, they are variable.  Some are oval, some are round, some are spear shaped, some are shaped like a palm frond, and many other variations.  And besides those differences, think of a Philodendron like all your friends and your family.   I'd be willing to bet you know people who are skinny, people who are fat, people who are tall and skinny, people who are short and wide, people with dark skin, people with light skin and many other variations.  But they are all still humans.  The same is true with a Philodendron.  Within a species you can have leaves that are tall, short, fat, skinny, dark, light and many other variables.  That is what is known as "variation".

Keep in mind, many Philodendron commonly sold at nurseries are hybridized plants and not species.  You'll just have to believe what some grower tells you, and that may often be wrong, since scientifically correct information on hybrids is rarely available.  Hybrid philodendron are created when the pollen from one species is applied to the spadix of another species at the time the plant is ready to reproduce.  Or the pollen of a hybrid may be applied to the spadix of another hybrid creating a further confused hybrid.  The resulting seeds (if the hybrid produces seeds) are not a species, but a hybrid form of the parents.  Some hybridizers enjoy seeing just what they can create and after a period of time you have no idea what the parents actually may have been.  As a result, there is no way of knowing if the new hybrid prefers really wet conditions, drier conditions, grows in the ground or high in the trees.  Although hybrids can be beautiful, my preference is to grow only species which can be traced back to their natural habitat and thus better understood.

Rather than using a rich, soggy soil and watering only once a week (or less), use a soil that holds moisture well but drains very quickly.  That is what the plant actually needs in most cases.  Over time, we've developed a soil mixture for most of our Philodendron sp. that works quite well.  People who visit our artificial rain forest are often amazed at the size of many of our specimens which grow much faster and larger than they often do in homes. 

We use 50% Miracle Grow Moisture Control Potting Mix combined with 20% Peat Moss, 20% orchid potting media (we prefer Schultz™ due to the charcoal, hard wood and gravel) and 10% Perlite™.  We grow close to 70 different species in this mixture and numerous specimens have reached their adult or near adult size and produce inflorescences. 

Humidity is extremely important!  Do everything you possibly can to keep the humidity high around your Philodendron most of the time.  These species live in a jungle which can have a humidity level near 100%!   If you live in a climate that has a low humidity like southern California then you'll need to provide a method of giving the aroid more humidity.  In our rain forest the humidity is always high (85% or higher) due to the pond in the center of the room and frequent water!  Some growers keep their philodendrons near a swimming pool to allow for a constantly high humidity.   Air circulation is equally important since the air is almost always moving in the rain forest.

For even more information, join the International Aroid Society:  http://www.exoticrainforest.com/Join%20IAS.html
 

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