Philodendron 'Golden Dragon'
Cultivar of nursery origin; hybrid Philodendron in the P. bipennifolium/pedatum (dragon-leaf) lineage
Deeply lobed, multi-fingered 'dragon-claw' leaves, often with variable green-and-cream marbling; lobing deepens with maturity.
Climber; develops dramatically clawed, larger leaves with a moss pole and bright light.
Genus from Greek 'philo' (love) + 'dendron' (tree), referring to many species' habit of climbing trees. 'Golden Dragon' is a horticultural cultivar name.
Philodendron 'Golden Dragon' is a climbing hybrid cultivar with deeply lobed, multi-fingered 'dragon-claw' leaves. It often shows green-on-green to cream marbled variegation that varies leaf to leaf, with the lobes deepening as the plant matures on a support. It belongs to the dragon-leaf (bipennifolium/pedatum) group of philodendrons.
Give a moss pole and bright indirect light to develop the deeply clawed mature leaves and keep any variegation bright. Airy mix kept lightly moist, moderate-to-high humidity. An easy, fast-maturing climber on a support.
Airy aroid mix (40% orchid bark, 40% coco coir, 20% perlite). Repot every 12–18 months in spring; a moss pole is essential for the clawed mature form.
Monthly during growing season (spring–summer)
- Juvenile/unlobed leaves without a support; unstable variegation on marbled forms; root rot from overwatering; spider mites in dry air.
- Mature leaves split into deep, finger-like lobes resembling dragon claws.
- A variegated marbled form is widely grown, with cream-and-green patterning that varies on each leaf.
- It needs to climb to show its dramatic adult leaf shape — grown without support it stays plain.