Glossy, heart-shaped leaves on long, slender stems – trailing from a shelf or climbing a moss pole. It copes with little light and is often confused with pothos.

What it does for you

The heartleaf philodendron is perhaps the most popular philodendron sold today¹. It can survive for long periods in extremely low light². Its stems trail from a high shelf or climb a moss pole³. It was part of the 1989 NASA study, tested for formaldehyde in a sealed chamber⁴. But in real homes, for a noticeable effect you'd need, depending on the study, ten to a thousand plants per square metre⁵.

Origin & history

It grows wild from Mexico through Central America and the Caribbean to Peru, Bolivia and Brazil, as an epiphyte, mainly in the wet tropics⁷.

The genus name comes from Greek for "to love" and "tree", as many species climb trees; hederaceum means ivy-like¹. Older names are Philodendron scandens and P. oxycardium²; POWO now files both under varieties of P. hederaceum^8,9. It may also be labelled Philodendron cordatum, an older, inaccurate name¹⁰.

Caution

It contains insoluble calcium oxalates; in cats and dogs it causes pain and swelling of the mouth, tongue and lips, heavy drooling, vomiting and difficulty swallowing¹¹. NC State rates the poison severity for people as low, but lists contact dermatitis². The RHS calls philodendrons poisonous, says the sap can irritate the skin and advises gloves³; the University of Zurich's veterinary toxicology database lists the whole plant as poisonous¹². We use the more cautious rating.

Care

The RHS, Iowa State and the UF/IFAS production guide give their advice for philodendrons in general.

Light. Bright but indirect light; direct summer sun can scorch the leaves. With too little light it gets leggy and makes fewer, smaller leaves³.

Water. Wait until the top of the compost has dried, and never leave it standing in water – saturated compost can eventually rot the roots³. Water less from autumn to late winter¹. Trailing philodendrons are very unforgiving of overwatering¹⁰. As a rule of thumb, that means about once a week in summer.

Temperature & humidity. At least 15 °C, away from hot radiators and cold draughts; it's happy with the lower humidity of most homes³. 18–27 °C is well tolerated¹³. UF/IFAS lists lower leaves turning yellow after several hours at 1–4 °C among the problems of philodendrons in production and indoors¹⁴.

Soil, pot & repotting. A loose, free-draining, slightly acidic mix, such as two parts orchid compost to one part peat-free ericaceous compost. It can usually stay in its pot for at least a couple of years, or until the roots are densely packed. Repot in spring, into a pot only a few centimetres larger than the root ball³. Iowa State: repot when it is overcrowded¹³.

Feeding. From spring to early autumn with a general houseplant fertiliser³; lightly, once or twice a month¹³. Too little nitrogen makes the leaves yellowish and small¹⁴.

Extras

Climbing a support outdoors, its leaves grow up to 30 cm long or more¹⁵. In cultivation it rarely flowers². Cultivars include 'Brasil' with a yellow to light green central stripe and the yellow to chartreuse 'Lemon Lime'².