Huge heart-shaped leaves from southern Ecuador!

Philodendron mamei is an unusual and spectacular species that stands out for its enormous, heart-shaped leaves, which can grow up to 60 cm long. Its unique, silvery pattern on the leaf surface gives it an almost surreally beautiful appearance.

Care.

With proper care, Philodendron mamei grows quickly and produces large leaves in a short time . The plant thrives best in elongated pots that provide space for its creeping growth.
It prefers semi-shady to shady locations with high humidity.

The soil should be airy and well-drained , with a mixture of coconut, bark and perlite, like our aroid soil . Always keep the soil slightly moist but definitely not wet, the most important thing is to maintain a relatively high humidity.

Botanical description.

This green plant grows naturally in shady areas along river banks. Unlike many other philodendron species, it is a ground cover plant rather than a climber.

Philodendron mamei is currently only known from the eastern slope of the Andes in Ecuador (Napo, Morona-Santiago, Azuay and Zamora-Chinchipe) at an altitude between 700–1800 m.

Appearance.

It grows as a hemiepiphytic climber in the rainforests, i.e. both as a climber and ground cover plant. Its leaves have beautiful white stripes and spots and can grow up to 50 cm long and wide. They also have a clear three-dimensional structure thanks to the submerged leaf veins.