Philodendron bipennifolium

Philodendron bipennifolium is a climbing hemiepiphyte instantly recognisable by its distinctive fiddle- or violin-shaped leaf, pinched in at the middle before flaring out again toward the tip, a silhouette shared with a handful of other Philodendron species but rarely confused with anything outside the genus. Native to the Amazon basin, it climbs readily on a support, producing progressively larger and more deeply lobed leaves as it matures from its juvenile, more oval-leaved form. A yellow-variegated 'Aurea' selection also circulates in the trade, but the plain green species remains an underrated architectural climber in its own right.

Native range

Brazil (Amazon basin and surrounding regions)

Classification

Genus

Philodendron

Family

Araceae

Type

Wild

Growth habit

Climbing hemiepiphyte

Morphology

Leaf shape

Distinctive fiddle/violin shape, pinched at the middle

Leaf length

20-40 cm

Leaf width

12-25 cm

Petiole colour

Green

Venation

PinnateVeins or lobes arranged like a feather, branching out symmetrically on both sides of a single main central vein., prominent midrib

Texture

Semi-glossy, coriaceous

Variegation

None

Growth habit

Climbing with aerial roots