Philodendron billietiae

Long, vivid orange-to-yellow petioles are the single trait Philodendron billietiae is bought for — among the most striking petiole colours in the genus, and the source of both the plant's nickname and most of its collector appeal. Described by Croat from the humid lowland forest of the Guiana Shield, it ascends tree trunks as a hemiepiphytic climber in warm, shaded, wet forest. Elongate sagittate leaves with a long acuminate anterior lobe sit on slender but sturdy stems with distinct nodes producing short aerial roots. The base species sees less attention than its variegated form, but holds real collector interest in its own right on petiole colour alone.

Native range

Guiana Shield, northeastern South America (French Guiana, Guyana, Brazil)

Classification

Genus

Philodendron

Family

Araceae

Type

Wild

Growth habit

Climbing hemiepiphyte

Morphology

Leaf shape

Elongate sagittateArrowhead-shaped leaves, with pointed lobes at the base pointing downwards. with long acuminateFoliage tapering gradually to a long, sharp point at the leaf tip. anterior lobe and narrow posterior lobes

Leaf length

40-90 cm

Leaf width

15-35 cm

Petiole colour

Orange to yellow-orange, the defining feature

Venation

Prominent midrib, pinnateVeins or lobes arranged like a feather, branching out symmetrically on both sides of a single main central vein. lateral veins

Texture

Semi-glossy, moderately coriaceous

Variegation

None

Growth habit

Climbing via short aerial roots on slender sturdy stems with distinct nodes