Species in the Collection
Rainforest Tour
Orchids
The
Exotic Rainforest
Plants in
the Exotic Rainforest Collection
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In depth information on how to grow Philodendron species, Click this Link
Within our collection we have over 70 species of Philodendron. If you are seeking other photos, click this link:
Philodendron
bipennifolium
Schott ex Endl
Often
incorrectly
known as Philodendron panduriforme
Philodendron
bipennifolium
Schott
ex Endl.
Synonym: Philodendron wayombense
incorrectly sold as Philodendron panduriforme
Synonym: Philodendron wayombense
incorrectly sold as Philodendron panduriforme
Common names:
Horse Head Philodendron, Fiddle Leaf Philodendron, Panda Plant, Splash Gordon Plant
Seeking information on Philodendron panduriforme? Click this link.
Horse Head Philodendron, Fiddle Leaf Philodendron, Panda Plant, Splash Gordon Plant
Seeking information on Philodendron panduriforme? Click this link.
Sometimes
confusing, Philodendron bipennifolium is an aroid commonly
known only by the shape of the juvenile leaves shown in the inset
photo to the right. Once it begins to
mature, many would never recognize the species as the same plant as the
adult!
One bit of confusion that makes the species misunderstood is specimens
are
often known and sold using the
wrong name! Philodendron bipennifolium is commonly sold on
the internet as Philodendron panduriforme. The error
appears to be a result of statements found in more than one book.
According to
one of the world's leading aroid botanists, Dr. Thomas B. Croat
Ph.D., P.A. Schulze Curator of Botany
at the Missouri
Botanical Garden in St. Louis, MO, Philodendron bipennifolium
is not the same species. Philodendron panduriforme is a
completely different plant.
Many
assume Philodendron panduriforme is synonym for
Philodendron
bipennifolium. Where that information
originated cannot be verified, but the two species are not synonymous and
that belief is not supported by any
botanical database. Others believe Philodendron panduriforme
looks just like
Philodendron bipennifolium. They do not. One noted book by author Deni Bown indicates the
two species are
one and the same, however, according to Dr. Croat and other aroid
experts they
are very different.
originated cannot be verified, but the two species are not synonymous and
that belief is not supported by any
botanical database. Others believe Philodendron panduriforme
looks just like
Philodendron bipennifolium. They do not. One noted book by author Deni Bown indicates the
two species are
one and the same, however, according to Dr. Croat and other aroid
experts they
are very different.
Philodendron
bipennifolium is known to produce variable leaf blades as a result of
ontogeny, more commonly known as morphogenesis. Variation within
Philodendron species
does not require the plant to always present the same leaf shape.
As species grows, the leaf blades change, often dramatically.
You can observe morphogenesis with a variety of leaf shapes on a single
juvenile plant (photo left). Every leaf shape is growing up the
same piece of cork! If allowed to climb a tree, the
leaves will continue to morph. A photo of an adult blade can be
seen later in this text.
In an exchange of email with Dr. Croat
, he wrote,
"Philodendron panduriforme is a distinct species which is merely
3-lobed. See Aroideana volume 9, I believe where I published the
Araceae
of Venezuela. Philodendron bipennifolium does not resemble P.
panduriforme at all and is surely unrelated. The photo you attached is
P. bipennifolium."
The photo on the right of an adult specimen of Philodendron
panduriforme is from volume 9 of Aroideana (published by the
International Aroid Society).
It was scanned and used with Croat's permission. The photo
on the left is a young specimen of P. panduriforme from our own collection. As is obvious, the two
photos bear bear
little resemblance to the photos of Philodendron bipennifolium
shown above. As you can see, Philodendron panduriforme also morphs as it
grows. However, in the juvenile state, Philodendron
panduriforme does very slightly resemble Philodendron
bipennifolium.
After reviewing a photo of a juvenile P.
panduriforme, Dr. Croat responded, "I
can see why Deni Bown thought this is the same as P.
bipennifolium. The problem is this species (P. panduriforme) is
usually more deeply 3-lobed."
To find the basis
for this incorrect assumption I contacted several additional experts including Joep Moonen (pronounced yupe or jupe) in French Guiana.
Joep is a well known Dutch naturalist and Dr. Croat refers to him as his
"eyes and ears" in the rain forest. No one knew why
collectors think the two species are the same with the exception of
notes found in some texts. Joep provided the photo (left)
of an adult specimen growing in the forest of French Guiana. As
you can see, there is a resemblance to the juvenile plants nearing
adulthood, but it is still very different from a young juvenile.
Aroid expert Julius Boos in West Palm Beach, FL sent a
description of Philodendron panduriforme which matches Dr. Croat's photo and the photo of my juvenile
specimen:
"They (P.
bipennifolium and P. panduriforme)
look nothing
alike, and could never be confused as the same
species. Philodendron
panduriforme has a shallow lobed blade with three shallow lobes, rounded
tips to the lobes, and no more then scallops that do not go deep or
anywhere near the main veins. In the photo of P. bipennifolium, the
divisions in the blade seem deeply cut with pointed sections which 'cut'
near or to the main veins."
Also confusing to plant
collectors, morphogenesis and natural variation are common within aroid
species. The following link explains in
non-technical language natural variation and
morphogenesis.
Click here.
Click here.
Philodendron bipennifolium is found in Brazil, French
Guiana, Venezuela,
Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. A hemiepiphyte, birds often eat the
plant's berry fruits which contain seeds. As a result, the species may grow from a seed dropped on the
soil, then climb a nearby tree, or become established as an epiphyte (a plant that
grows on another plant) on a tree branch. Aroids are commonly
found in the
rain forest canopy are placed there as a seed within a bird's
droppings. It is not uncommon for epiphytic species to eventually send
their roots down to the soil.
Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. A hemiepiphyte, birds often eat the
plant's berry fruits which contain seeds. As a result, the species may grow from a seed dropped on the
soil, then climb a nearby tree, or become established as an epiphyte (a plant that
grows on another plant) on a tree branch. Aroids are commonly
found in the
rain forest canopy are placed there as a seed within a bird's
droppings. It is not uncommon for epiphytic species to eventually send
their roots down to the soil.
If you
believe you are growing Philodendron panduriforme, and it looks
like any of the photos of Philodendron
bipennifolium on this
page, it would strongly appear you have the wrong tag on your plant! If
you compare the juvenile leaves in the top left photo, all of which are
growing on a single vine in our collection, you can see Philodendron bipennifolium
goes through the juvenile stages
of morphogenesis It changes as ot grows and the rounded upper lobes become pointed. The adult form of
Philodendron bipennifolium normally has two upwardly pointing lobes which
narrow sharply as they ;ead to the mid section of the blade.
Then the blade again widens to form
a leaf that
appears to have a "fat" mid-section with a pointed lower blade.
The adult leaf blades of this species are sharply different from the juvenile forms collectors
grow.
The photo to the right above by Michael Mattlage shows a specimen that has begun to
morph into a young adult. Our photos (top of page, left) show juvenile specimen. Once the plant
matures and completes its morphogenesis, the edges become somewhat ragged and the upper lobes
are even
more sharply pointed. Below left is a near adult
specimen from the collection of Sam and Enid Offolter of Natural Selections Exotics in Fort
Lauderdale, FL. Sam and Enid's plant did not develop the "ears".
www.NSExotics.com
A photo of
Philodendron bipennifolium found in a book by Harry Lorenzi on
the plants of master plant collector Roberto Burle Marx from Brazil
shows the species in the full adult form with the "ears" on the lobes
having scalloped edges. That adult specimen looks suspiciously like a
plant sold in the United States as Philodendron Ecuador.
It has been suggested by some collectors Philodendron Ecuador is a natural hybrid of
Philodendron bipennifolium found in the rain forests of Brazil. The photo to
the right is of our immature Philodendron Ecuador.
The adult form
of P. bipennifolium is rarely seen in a collection but is common in the
rain forest. Philodendron bipennifolium is suspected
of being one of the parents of several exotic natural hybrids that
circulate among aroid collectors. Apparently, the species
hybridizes in nature more readily than some Philodendron species.
Joep Moonen believes
Philodendron bipennifolium is one of the parents of a very odd natural
hybrid he has found at only two places in French Guiana.
That rare specimen is now known to collectors as Philodendron 'joepii'
and has not been scientifically named or described.
You
can read more about Philodendron 'joepii' by clicking this link.
Philodendron bipennifolium is a climber and if
given a totem or is planted next to a tree in a tropical environment, it
loves to
climb. The leaf blades are semi-glossy and the spathe
tube is green. P. bipennifolium prefers high humidity and grows very well in the climate of our tropical atrium
in
well draining soil.
The leaves of our immature specimens tend to be approximately 25cm (10 inches) in length but grow much larger once they mature.
Incorrect information found on the internet suggests Philodendron bipennifolium is a hybrid, but since the species was described to science in1855 that is nothing more than an internet plant myth!
Read the description of
Philodendron panduriforme here:
Want to learn more about aroids?
To join the
International Aroid Society click here:
http://www.exoticrainforest.com/Join%20IAS.html
Out of print copies of
Aroideana can often be ordered directly from the International Aroid
Society:
http://www.aroid.org/