Philodendron giganteum

Caribbean islands through northern South America to Brazil (Pará); wet tropical forest

First described by Schott.

Enormous, glossy, bright green heart-shaped leaves, exceeding 1 m long on mature plants; thick petioles.

Large hemiepiphytic subshrub forming a broad self-supporting clump; needs significant space.

Genus from Greek 'philo' (love) + 'dendron' (tree), referring to many species' habit of climbing trees. Epithet 'giganteum' means 'gigantic', for the very large leaves.

Philodendron giganteum (Schott) ranges from the Caribbean to Brazil (Pará). A hemiepiphytic subshrub, it is grown for enormous, glossy, heart-shaped leaves that can exceed a metre long on mature plants, forming a large self-supporting clump. A variegated form ('Blizzard'/variegata) is also in cultivation.

Give it room — leaves get huge. Bright indirect light, a large pot, an airy mix kept lightly moist, and moderate-to-high humidity. It's an easy, vigorous grower; just account for its eventual size.

• Root rot from overwatering; smaller leaves in low light; spider mites in dry air; simply outgrowing its space.

• Mature leaves can exceed a metre in length, living up to the name 'giganteum'.
• It forms a big self-supporting clump rather than a tall vine.
• A variegated form with white-splashed leaves is prized by collectors.