Philodendron imbe

Philodendron imbe is a Brazilian climbing species named for the coastal region of Imbé in Rio Grande do Sul. Its variety ilsemannii is the source of two well-known variegated selections in cultivation: the widely-traded 'Ilsemannii Variegated' and 'Jose Buono' (the latter's full botanical name is Philodendron imbe var. ilsemannii 'Jose Buono', though it circulates commercially under just the cultivar name). Both are unstable, often heavily white-sectored chimeric variegations, considerably more delicate and slower-growing than the plain green species.

Native range

Coastal Brazil, including the Imbé region of Rio Grande do Sul (humid coastal rainforest, hemiepiphytic)

Classification

Genus

Philodendron

Family

Araceae

Type

Wild

Growth habit

Climbing/vining, hemiepiphytic

Morphology

Leaf shape

Elongated ovateEgg-shaped leaves, with the wider end near the base. to lanceolateLance-shaped leaves that are significantly longer than they are wide, tapering to a point at the tip.

Leaf length

20-35 cm

Leaf width

10-18 cm

Petiole colour

Green

Venation

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

Texture

Semi-glossy

Variegation

N/A: solid deep green blade; the heavily white-sectored 'Ilsemannii Variegated' and 'Jose Buono' are both chimericVariegation caused by a cell mutation. Often produces high contrast but can be unstable and revert to all-green. sports of the variety ilsemannii

Growth habit

Climbing vine with aerial roots