Philodendron luxurians

Way of growing

The plant is a slow climber - grows upwards and needs support to climb when the trunk is too big to support itself. 

Setting

A bright spot without direct sunlight for more than 2 hours. An east facing spot is ideal. The sun is strongest during mid day so make sure it does not get the direct exposure during mid day. 

Water

Prefers to be moist but not wet - approximately one glass of water a week.

Fertalizer

Add fertalizer together with every other watering from spring until the beginning of October. 

Soil

An airy and well drained soil mix with 50% draining material such as bark, bio coal, coco choir or gravel together with soil. 

Heritage

It originates from South America the Choco region in Colombia - hence the name “El Choco”.

General

When the plant is juvenile, the underside of the leaves can turn red, hence the name rubri = red, juvenilum = small. The texture of the plant’s leaves is velvety and the stem is slightly gnarly/dotted. Because of its beautiful red color, it quickly became popular with collectors in the United States and was traded as Philodendron ‘El Choco Red’ based on the leaf color and that it comes from the Choco region in Colombia. New research was possible after cultivation of the plant and research on the flower structure has led to the plant being seen as a distinct species, and it is described as Philodendron rubrijuvenilum as of 2021. The species was described by Thomas B. Croat and Ronald S. Kaufman.