Philodendron plowmanii
Ecuador and Peru; wet tropical forest
First described by Croat.
Very large, quilted, heart-shaped dark green leaves with rippled texture and pale, slightly wavy margins; flattened petioles with undulate edges.
Terrestrial crawler with a horizontal rhizome; grow in a wide, shallow planter like gloriosum and pastazanum.
Genus from Greek 'philo' (love) + 'dendron' (tree), referring to many species' habit of climbing trees. Epithet honours botanist Timothy Plowman.
Philodendron plowmanii (Croat) is native to Ecuador and Peru. A creeping/crawling species, it is grown for its very large, quilted, heart-shaped leaves with rippled texture and pale, wavy-edged margins. It is often confused with P. mamei and the hybrid 'McDowell', but is distinguished by its flattened petiole/stem with tooth-like ('wavy') edges.
Grow as a crawler in a wide, shallow pot, keeping the rhizome on the surface. Bright indirect light, an airy moisture-retentive mix and high humidity produce the largest, most heavily quilted leaves. Water when the top 2–3 cm dries.
Chunky moisture-retentive aroid mix in a long, shallow planter; lay the rhizome on top with the growing tip into open space.
Monthly during growing season (spring–summer)
- Rhizome/root rot if buried or overwatered; smaller flatter leaves in low light; spider mites in dry air; crispy edges from low humidity.
- Plowmanii is a crawler grown for size and texture rather than colour — its huge leaves look quilted and rippled.
- It's easily confused with P. mamei and 'McDowell', but its flattened, wavy-edged petiole gives it away.
- It's named after botanist Timothy Plowman.