Philodendron hastatum

A metallic silver-green to blue-silver sheen across the leaf surface earns Philodendron hastatum its hobby nickname, the 'Silver Sword' Philodendron. Native to Brazil's humid Atlantic forest, it climbs tree trunks in shaded understory with constant moisture and filtered light. Distinctly hastate leaves with elongated anterior lobes and short basal lobes rise on long petioles from sheathing nodes along slender, aerial-rooted stems. It suits collectors who prefer subtle, cool-toned foliage over the genus's darker velvet species, and grows vigorously once settled in.

Native range

Southeastern Brazil (humid Atlantic forest)

Classification

Genus

Philodendron

Family

Araceae

Type

Wild

Growth habit

Climbing hemiepiphyte

Morphology

Leaf shape

Distinctly hastateSpearhead-shaped leaves, with basal lobes pointing outward at right angles rather than downward. with elongated anterior lobes and short basal lobes

Leaf length

25-60 cm

Leaf width

15-35 cm

Petiole colour

Long, green, from sheathing nodes

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

Metallic silver-green to blue-silver sheen, semi-glossy

Variegation

None (silver colouration is species trait)

Growth habit

Climbing on slender aerial-rooted stems with distinct sheathing nodes