Thaumatophyllum xanadu
The xanadu philodendron ( Thaumatophyllum xanadu ) is a type of tree diagram philodendron with an upright growth habit that sets it apart from the vining type .
Though it can grow marvellous with a hearty automobile trunk , it will still comport as an epiphyte , clinging and climbing into any nearby Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , make believe it a secondary semiepiphyte .
The name “ xanadu ” call down visions of an idyllic paradise , somewhere sybaritic to elude to , and you better believe when I first hear of this particular philodendron , images of a plant befitting utopia filled my psyche .
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And since my idea of heaven does n’t involve fussy plants that never depend healthy despite my beneficial efforts , xanadu has a permanent home in my houseplant collection .
In this guide , we ’ll aid you make your xanadu philodendron look as statuesque and dramatic as we all be intimate they can .
Here ’s what we ’re going to blab about to make that encounter :
What You’ll Learn
Quick Look
How to Grow
Where to Buy
sustenance
Propagation
Pests and Disease
Stately xanadu was originally call ‘ Winterbourn . ’
It was named for Veronica and Barry Winterbourn who patent the industrial plant in 1988 . As far as we know , it was first sold by an Australian Nursery , House of Plants , in 1983 .
It was patented in the United States under the name Xanadu ™ , but the patent has since expired . You ’ll also see it sell under the name ‘ Aussie . ’ Or it might be misspell as “ Zanadu . ”
The history of the xanadu philodendron is wild . It ’s like it come out in commercial-grade trade out of nowhere one day and everyone had a theory as to where it came from .
Common name(s):Xanadu philodendron
Plant type : Epiphytic aroid
Hardiness ( USDA Zone):9 - 11 ( alfresco )
Native to : Brazil
Bloom fourth dimension / time of year : Evergreen , flowers in bounce
photo : Partial , dappled ghost ; bright , indirect light
filth character : Loose , light , well enfeeble
grease pH:5.5 - 6.5 , slightly acid
sentence to maturity:10 years
Mature size:5 ft wide x 5 ft high ( count on cultivar )
Best use : hang industrial plant , houseplant , specimen
Taxonomy
ordination : Alismatales
Family : Araceae
Genus : Thaumatophyllum
coinage : Xanadu
Some plant scientist believed it was a cultivar , sport , or cross of thetree philodendron , Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum(syn . Philodendron bipinnatifidum ) .
Others say it ’s a late discovered species from Australia .
The latter are wrong , since it ’s not a native metal money from Australia . We love that there are n’t any indigenousPhilodendronorThaumatophyllumspecies there .
There are also gardener who have been growing xanadu philodendrons from seed from plant collected from the wild in Brazil .
Like other members of theThaumatophyllumgenus , it most likely originated in South America .
In 2018 , thePhilodendronsubgenusMeconostigmawas reclassify as its own genus , Thaumatophyllum . This plant was assigned its own species : xanadu .
Tree philodendron ( T. bipinnatifidum)and xanadu see passing like . Only experts and serious hobbyist can tell the deviation .
For representative , the petioles of xanadu have a transfuse , c - shape . Onbipinnatifidum , they lack the loving cup .
Large , deeply - lobed shining gullible leaves emerge from a spacious cardinal stalking which can spring up up to four feet tall .
At matureness , the xanadu philodendrons will generally reach about five feet wide in cultivation . crazy specimens can attain almost double these dimensions .
When grown as a houseplant it ’ll generally stick around a lot smaller unless you repot regularly into larger containers and ply pile of shining sunshine .
In USDA Hardiness Zones 9 to 11 you may grow it outdoors and in spring it ’ll bloom with a white spadix and spathe , follow by seed in the summer . Indoors , the plant is unlikely to flower .
Xanadu piddle a various houseplant either in a minuscule ornamental mess to keep it petite or grace a large entranceway in a sturdy urn .
you’re able to even grow it in a hanging container , where it looks extremely nerveless , though do n’t require it to weep .
Fun fact : Xanadu is a coloring material reference for an off - gray color on the RGB scale . It has a color co-ordinate of # 738678 , and it was bring up for this flora .
There ’s another tree philodendron known as ‘ Xanadu - II ’ which has larger and more profoundly lobate leaf , but it has never gained the popularity of its parent .
Keeping xanadu happy is quite straight , provided you give it the circumstance the plant requires .
rent ’s start with grow medium .
Growing Medium
arum like xanadu philodendron require a chunky , loose pot medium with water retentive properties .
If you ’re growing indoors in a mess , I ’d recommend you buy an aroid mix formulated for these types of works .
Molly ’s Aroid Mix is a good option . It ’s made up of barque , coco coir , worm casting for nutrients , biochar , and clay pebbles .
Molly ’s Aroid Mix
you could find five - dry quart bagsavailable from Very plant via Amazon .
Or if you opt to make your own , commingle four part orchidaceous plant bark , two parts perlite , one partcoconut coir , and one partworm castings .
Outdoors , amend your soil with slew of coconut coir and barque , so that it is loose and airy .
you may also raise xanadu attached to a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree or other support . This is more difficult to do indoors because of the amount of quad it postulate .
But if you require to go this road , attach the roots using twine or glue – or both . Then , affix sphagnum moss over the roots .
You ’ll necessitate to keep the moss consistently moist at all times .
Light
develop xanadu in undimmed , collateral light or sunup sunshine .
Direct sunlight is n’t necessarily a sorry matter , so long as it is n’t for more than a few hour in the morning or some dappled visible light throughout the day .
provide plenty of light will help the xanadu philodendron develop orotund and bushy .
Outdoors , a part - subtlety location works best . If you ’re growing in a sunny spotlight , ensure you provide some protection during very hot periods .
Water
Always keep the grunge equally moist . It should consistently palpate like a well - wrung - out sponge and should never be allowed to dry out out .
You should cut the amount of water supply during the winter and countenance the airfoil of the grime to dry out between watering .
It ’s laborious to say how often you ’ll necessitate to irrigate , since how quickly the soil dries out will vary with environmental condition .
Either apply your fingerbreadth or amoisture meterto check the grime every few day .
Temperature and Humidity
Xanadu likes it nice and affectionate . In their natural environment , they tend to thrive when the temperatures are in the small 80s .
But they ’ll be perfectly fine in temperatures that range from 65 to 90 ° fluorine .
You should avoid expose your xanadu philodendron to anything below 60 ° F , though temperature in the 50s for short periods are unlikely to do severe damage .
It might kill off the foliage , but the roots will likely exist so long as the temperatures return to normal fairly quickly .
Xanadu raise in tropical rain forest , so the plant are used to lots and lots of humidity . But they are n’t too fussy about the lower humidness found in most homes .
If you’re able to keep the humidity to about 50 percent , that ’s perfect . If you ask to bring up humidness , you’re able to always keep your plant in the kitchen or john or expend a small humidifier .
Fertilizing
For vigorous increase , bung your plant once a week or every other week using a mild , balanced , or all - purpose food .
If you ’re looking for ideas , Arber make a nice all - use option made out of chicken manure , biochar , and constitutional compost . It ’s the Cartesian product I use for all my aroid .
Arber All Purpose Fertilizer
you may pick up three - pound bagsat Arbico Organics .
Reduce feed to once a month during the winter months .
you’re able to bump xanadu at lots of dissimilar retail merchant because it ’s such a popular flora . You ’re not go to have to hunt too severe to find it .
Xanadu Philodendron
If you ’d wish to start with something small , snag a live works in a one - dry quart containerfrom Nature Hills Nursery .
If you ’d like something a bit older and large , you could find a specimen in a 10 - inch green goddess from the American Plant Exchangevia Amazon .
Xanadu is a “ self - lead ” type , which is a full term that philo lovers use to describe type with stiff , unbending stems that make a form of trunk allowing the plant to grow upright rather than as a mounting or train variety likeheartleafor ‘ Brasil . ’
Left to their own devices , eventually they might become so large that they ca n’t support themselves .
This is the point when , in the wild , they would attach themselves to a tree to go on their lifecycle .
The lower leaves will exuviate of course , pass on a mere root .
Pruning
You do n’t need to prune these flora unless any of the leaves decease , become diseased or discolor , or there is a broken or deformed leaf you desire to trench .
To do this , sanitise a pair of pruners in isopropyl alcohol , a 10 per centum bleach solution , or hot soapy water and issue the leaf off at the base tight to the stem .
you may learn all the details aboutpruning philodendrons here .
Repotting
As the works grow , you ’ll need to repot it into a larger container . You ’ll need to murder the original plant and brushwood away the soil before placing it in a new , larger container .
Choose a pot just one size up from the existing one . Remove the flora from its container , and softly tease apart up the roots and brush aside the excess soil .
lay out the plant in the new container , and gently fill in around the roots with potting medium .
Water , add more metier if it reconcile , and you ’re good to go .
Ourguide to repot tree philodendronshas more item .
you’re able to uprise xanadu from seed if you’re able to advance approach to them , but that ’s a serious challenge .
Instead , we ’ll focus on the more ordinarily useable options of adopt root press clipping , air layering , commencement , and transfer a purchased plant .
you may also freestanding offsets , but these do n’t constitute and become viable for planting until the industrial plant has develop a torso .
From Stem Cuttings
To take a fore cutting , look for a healthy stem that is at least the diam of your ovolo and has several leave . It should ideally have some aerial solution developing .
Grab a pair of desex pruner and make full a four- to six - inch container with aroid potting mix .
Cut a four- to six - column inch distance about an inch below a folio or root node at a slight slant .
transfer all but one leaf and dip the cut end in rooting hormone . Make a gob in the potting mixing and insert the cut an inch or two thick , enough that it can remain upright .
Firm the grime up around it . wash the sensitive .
Move the container to a spot with bright , indirect light . Keep the soil moist at all times while it roots .
It will take a month or two , but finally , the flora will begin to produce new leaves and staunch . That ’s when you know your cut has take and roots are developing .
By Air Layering
Aroids prepare aerial roots and we can rein these for propagation . Look for a leg with an aerial root thickening .
Place a stick next to the leg you ’re going to propagate . This will sustain the branch as it grow .
Take some sphagnum moss and moisten it . envelop this around the guest and cover it in clear credit card . ensure this moss and plastic to the support peg using tape measure or twine .
All you need to do now is keep the moss moist and wait for root to explicate . When you see a mass of root forming in the moss , it ’s ready to go .
Remove the moldable cover and moss and cut the plant just below the roots .
implant this in a new container or spot out of doors . The container should only be slightly bombastic than the theme mass .
From Offsets
When the plant is mature and has develop a torso , it will start to form offsets .
These search different from newly - developing leaves , because they will have their own central bow and several modest leaves .
Offsets develop from the underground portion of the meristem . All you require to do is dig down with your fingers along the stalk until you recover the tip where the offset joins the principal stem .
Take a knife or pruners and mildly reduce this by , taking any roots tie if you could .
Plant the kickoff in its own small pot .
Managing Pests and Disease
Xanadu is one rugged cooky . In a group of friends , this would be the one that never cries , walks it off when they break a ivory , and can handle middling much any challenge .
mealybug , scale , and wanderer soupcon will all feed in on xanadu philodendrons , but they usually wo n’t induce much equipment casualty . yellow foliage and some reduce growth are the chief symptoms .
Mealybugsandscalecan resemble the symptoms of a disease , since these pests are fairly flat and they do n’t move once they hunker in and start feed .
You might see fine webbing on the plant life ifspider mitesare around , but the arachnids themselves are so tiny that they ’re not really visible .
Otherwise , rootage hogwash is your big business concern . beginning hogwash is a common problem for houseplant growers , in ecumenical . Learn abouthow to forestall , key out , and control root rot here .
Welcome to Paradise
If your own personal paradise necessitate lot of pretty tropical plants , you should perfectly include stately , elegant , optic - catching xanadu .
If you have a hankering tolearn more about philodendrons , we have a few other guides to keep you busy . stop these out :
© Ask the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more detail . intersection photos via Arbico Organics , Nature Hills Nursery , and Very Plants . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock .
About
Kristine Lofgren
