Philodendron 'El Choco Red'

Philodendron 'El Choco Red' takes its name from the Chocó bioregion spanning Colombia and Ecuador, one of the wettest and most biodiverse rainforest zones on the continent, and shows the giant, deeply veined heart-shaped leaves typical of Philodendron from that region. The upper leaf surface is a glossy, velvety deep green, while the underside and petioles carry a rich wine-red wash that becomes especially vivid on new growth before darkening as the leaf matures. It climbs as a hemiepiphyte given a sturdy support, eventually producing genuinely enormous leaves on mature specimens. The combination of scale and colour contrast has made it one of the more frequently name-dropped Philodendron hybrids in current collector circles.

Native range

Named for the Chocó bioregion of Colombia and Ecuador; selection maintained in collector cultivation

Classification

Genus

Philodendron

Family

Araceae

Type

Hybrid

Growth habit

Climbing hemiepiphyte

Morphology

Leaf shape

Giant cordateHeart-shaped foliage, featuring a rounded notch (sinus) where the leaf stem attaches. (heart-shaped)

Leaf length

30-55 cm

Leaf width

25-45 cm

Petiole colour

Deep wine-red

Venation

Deeply impressed, pale green against a darker blade

Texture

Velvety upper surface, matte red underside

Variegation

N/A

Growth habit

Climbing hemiepiphyteA plant that starts growing in soil but later ascends trees as a climber, supporting itself with aerial roots. with aerial roots at nodes