Philodendron squamiferum

French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana and northern Brazil; lowland rainforest

First described by Poepp. & Engl..

Deeply five-lobed (pedate) glossy dark green leaves; petioles reddish and covered in soft, hair-like red bristles.

Hemiepiphytic climber; leaves become more deeply lobed with maturity and support.

Genus from Greek 'philo' (love) + 'dendron' (tree), referring to many species' habit of climbing trees. Epithet 'squamiferum' means 'bearing scales', for the red, scaly bristles on its petioles.

Philodendron squamiferum (Poepp. & Engl.) is native to the Guianas and northern Brazil. It is instantly recognisable by its reddish petioles densely covered in soft, scaly bristles, paired with deeply five-lobed (pedate) dark green leaves. A climbing hemiepiphyte, it develops more pronounced lobing as it matures.

Give bright indirect light and a moss pole; the lobing and bristly petioles develop best on a climbing plant. Use an airy aroid mix, keep evenly moist but not soggy, and maintain moderate-to-high humidity. Avoid cold drafts.

• Root rot in wet mix; less pronounced lobing without a support; spider mites and mealybugs in dry air; brown tips from low humidity.

• The reddish petioles are covered in soft, scaly bristles ('squamiferum' = scale-bearing), giving it a 'hairy' look.
• Mature leaves develop a distinctive deeply five-lobed shape.
• It hails from the Guiana Shield and northern Brazil, not Central America as is sometimes claimed.