I was reading in another thread about the confusion in IDing various philodendrons and started poking around http://www.exoticrainforest.com/Natural%20variation%20within%20aroid%20and%20%20plant%20species.html (thank you for pointing your site out ExoticRainforest!)
I have a few philodendrons, but what surprised me the most was the info and pictures of the common pothos, Epipremnum aureum! So, how long does it take to go from it's most common juvenile form, to what is considered it's adult form with 2.5' leaves??? They are beautiful!
Aroid confusion
Hi Mary,
To achieve the adult form, the plant will need a lot of room.
Yikes! That might be a little challenging in Ohio! It is beautiful though, isn't it?
So, why don't I ever see them like that here? Is it because people don't give them the chance to grow out like that? How old is a plant that big? (or how long does it take the plant to grow leaves that big?)
Mine is the typical small, juvenile - I took the cuttings about 2 years ago and have continued to take cuttings to fill out the pot.
(sorry the picture is so dark, the pix with the flash were so bleached out, I thought this was better.)
As a houseplant grown in small pots, it will probably never grow into the mature form.
In the right environment with lots of room, the plant can mature in a couple years, with leaves getting over 3 feet long.
The plants in the photos are growing up large trees.
Wow, that gives me something to aspire to. I'll see how big I can grow it as a houseplant in progressively larger pots, perhaps. (even though unlikely, I have to try) :)
Thank you for the pictures, I am really amazed and had no idea that what I have been seeing forever is really not what the plant can achieve! And here I thought pothos was boring!
MaryEv, there is a down side to having the Pothos grow big. They also become invasive. They drop runners down from the trees and spread out all over the ground. You're forever cutting them back and you can't just throw the cuttings away, or else they'll just spread out from there. Nice, but you have to be prepared to do a lot more work than when you only get small plants.
This plant has never had it's flowers studied scientifically. It is not actually a pothos but most likely a Epipremnum. The problem is with out flowers or DNA. It cannot be proven exactly what it is. I find it amazing that such a common plant is still so unwell known. It is said that the plant only flowers once it climbs a large tree or structure then vines start to hang down usually 40 to 70 feet up with flowers hanging off of these suspended vines. It is apparently very rare sense it has never been photographed flowering or any flowers have ever been studied. Some have said that it may be similar to bamboos and only the mature plants will flower all at once all over the world? Not sure if this is true but if anyone does see a flower I would suggest photos and collecting it to send to Dr Croat. It would be historic in the aroid world to finally prove what this plant truly is.
Epipremnum aureum does flower in Hawaiian forests.
It produces several cream colored spathes in a group that do not last very long before withering apart.
They are usually up in trees, but I don't see why the plants wouldn't throw flowers close to the ground, as mature plants grow close to the ground.
I'll keep my eyes open for a photo!
It's so funny to me that the plant can be a nuisance - I can only dream of that gorgeous tropical look! (or see it while traveling.)
I would love to see pictures of the flower!
Glad you found our little site useful MaryEv. Yep, TropicBreeze and Dave are very right,
it is extremely invasive and I throw away (try to give away) probably 50 pounds of it every year. It runs down into the pond, across the pond and takes off over every direction so my wife is constantly chopping it up.
Brian, Pete Boyce says he has done the work and it is without a doubt Epipremnum aureum. He ran an article in the IAS' Aroideana some years ago about the species. I've corresponding with him extensively over this species while trying to research it. He still has a page on the IAS website www.IAS.org that says it is actually Epipremnum pinnatum but after I reminded him of that Albert put up a note on the page that it contains old information.
I recently found a photo of the spathe and spadix on the web taken by a researcher at some university. He managed to get one to produce an inflorescence in their greenhouse. I would put it here but when I asked for permission to use it never received an answer. Since my atrium has virtually the same conditions as his I will be watching the top of the plant closely this spring!
As for time, in our atrium it took four years for it to reach the fully mature adult size but plants in our collection also have to contend with cold winters which slows their growth to some extent. We don't allow the temp to drop below 55 degrees but many of them don't even like it that cool. If you want them to reach the adult size they need to be able to climb at least 10 feet but 12 to 15 feet would be best. (around 4 meters).
If you have the place where you can give it a fairly tall piece of rough wood to climb they will reach the first stages of adulthood at around 7 to 8 feet (2.5 meters).
If you want some with larger leaves (not fully mature) just drop me a private note in the spring. I guarantee you we will be chopping it up again by late April and if anyone wants some with larger leaves and are willing to pay the shipping cost, I have no problem giving it away. It will need a large box! The bigger problem is the stems will have only aerial roots and when I've given it away it the past it often sheds the larger leaves until it becomes well rooted in very porous soil.
This plant will forever be called "Pothos" because florists and the workers at places like WalMart only know it by that name. I used to detest it because the plant is not in that genus but in time I've learned to "live with it".
Dave, if you can ever get photos of the inflorescence while open I'd love to be able to add them to the webpage!
Steve
www.ExoticRainforest.com
Just a short comment about Rachel's post above. In the rain forest young specimens are always seeking the shade of a tree through a process known as scototropism. Scototropic growth is a part of the natural coding of the DNA of many tropical plants and causes them to seek darkness in order to find a tree to climb. The plants need to climb since the light at ground level is low and the specimen needs brighter light for the production of chlorophyll.
On the way up the tree they begin to morph and change into the adult and intermediate stages of growth that finally allow them to mature. All of this is explained in the link MaryEv originally posted.
What most of us grow looks nothing like the adult form the aroid will morph into as it matures. On top of that, they change dramatically along the way.
Now, for those that may not like or object to my use of "technical terms" (scototropism), I've recently added a new page to the site which has about 140 definitions of scientific terms. I've worked on this for over a year and the original was published in the 2010 issue of Aroideana. I was not pleased with the printed results since many of the definitions were edited to again make them "technical" while my original goal was to keep it as simple as possible. I am slowly going through them and trying to make as many as possible easy to understand.
With the help of my friend Beth Campbell who is fluent in several forms of Latin we have also added phonetic pronunciations to the majority of the words.
In addition, I am attempting to add as many photos as possible to the page so you can not only read but also visualize the meaning of the term. If you are interested, you can find the page here:
http://www.exoticrainforest.com/Botanical%20terminology.html
Is scototropism a characteristic of all aroids or just Epipremnum and maybe some Philodendrons?
Are there any Epipremnum or Philos that will gain their maturity in a less than tropical environment (like my living room?) I have a lot to learn!
My hubbies aunt has a Monstera deliciosa plant ( http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1204/ ) It looks just like the picture posted by buzunar.. She keeps it her her entrance theres a good window there and its doing great.. I'm not sure how long she has had it, or what size it was when she bought it, but its a nice size plant..
jen
Interesting comment on the flowering Brian. Mine are up 25 and 30 metres in the trees, and hanging down to the ground. But I've never noticed (nor ever looked for) flowers. I'll have to keep a look out, but probably need binoculars if they're up near the top.
MaryEv, Smurf's suggestion is a good one. Monstera deliciosa seems to prefer a cooler climate. I've seen them grow quite large and fast in cooler areas but at my place (hot tropics) although they do grow, they are very slow. I've a small one that's probably not even doubled its size in about 4 years.
Scototropism is common to many climbing aroids. Of course, not all aroids climb including many of the terrestrial species but those that vine tend to want to climb in order to reach bright light. I've found the concept of a plant "knowing" it must grow toward the dark in order to reach bright light extremely interesting. Of course, it is just the DNA of the plant that "compels" it to grow toward the darkly shaded areas but it almost as if there is some "intelligence" behind the process.
Almost any vining Philodendron, Syngonium, Epipremnum, Monstera or other genera that climbs trees takes advantage of scotropism in order to find a tree to climb.
Monstera deliciosa (in fact all Monstera) don't normally climb high into the trees. Most stop climbing at 30 feet or so and then tend to put out runners that drop back to the ground and spread again through scotoprism.
It is very interesting to see trees in South Florida that have a huge bed of juvneile Epipremnum aureum leaves all around the base but those stems that have grabbed the tree soon become very thick and climb as high as they possibly can reach. I think we often don't see the inflorescences because they are short lived and are often high in the canopy.
Part of the concept of scotropism that interests me is why home growers often seem to feel their aroids like dim conditions when most are urged by their own DNA to go find bright light. I've purchased well over 100 three foot totems to allow my plants to climb and many have double or triple stacked totems and still want to grow higher.
As for plants that can grow large in a living room, your best bet is terrestrial species. Philodendron martinianum (often incorrectly sold as Philodendron cannifolium) and Philodendron renauxii can become huge in fairly dim light. You can find both on our website.
Scientifically, there is no such plant as Philodendron cannifolium. Long story!
Steve
This message was edited Dec 3, 2010 12:50 AM
I've got one, that just took off on me, where I planted a cutting at the base of a south-facing wall of the house. It started destrying the painted wall and, as bwilliams points out, dropping thick roots all over, so I pulled it out and planted pieces of it in several other locations. Those spots generally get mottled sunlight. Growth has been slower, but steady.
A piece of the plant, in its new home, co-habitating with a Chalice Vine, yet to bloom.
Thank you Steve for adding such valuable information for us all to read.
MaryEv, I can also add that Philodendron bipinnatifidum and congo can get very large in a few years time when only grown as houseplants.
I hope you stay interested in growing these type of plants and please ask your questions here anytime. There are some very knowledgeable growers on this forum who will do their best to answer any question we have.
This message was edited Dec 3, 2010 11:22 PM
I love many Aroids, especially when they can grow a little more to their potential. I just had no idea that the juvenile and adult forms could be so different!
I've had a few Philodendrons for years now, though I'm not sure which ones because I think one of the sellers may have mislabeled some. But they seem to be happy enough with winters in a window and summers outside. I also love many of the Alocasia/Colocasia and Anthuriums and hope to get more of these some day.
Thank you all for your help and all the great information. They are such beautiful plants!