Brasil Philodendron

Brasil Philodendron (Philodendron hederaceum 'Brasil') is the fast, forgiving trailer that makes a shelf look furnished within a season. Each heart shaped leaf carries a lime green stripe down the centre against deep glossy green. It climbs a moss pole to about 2m, or trails the same length from a hanging pot. One caution: the leaves and sap are toxic to cats and dogs.

Why you'll love it

• Variegation without a bright window. The lime stripe holds in moderate indirect light, where many variegated plants revert to plain green.
• It grows quickly enough to notice. New leaves appear through the warm months, and a young plant fills a hanging pot in one season.
• Trail it or climb it. The same plant drapes from a shelf or climbs a moss pole, and the leaves grow larger when it climbs.
• It forgives a missed watering. It wilts visibly when thirsty and recovers within hours of a drink.

Where it works best

Indoors. Bookshelves, kitchen benches, or a hanging pot in a bathroom where the humidity suits it. Keep it out of reach if your cat chews foliage.

Pots and containers. Three or four plants in a 300mm pot fill it faster than one plant alone, and a working drainage hole is essential.

Balconies and courtyards. Outdoors it needs a frost free tropical or subtropical position, in shade or dappled light under a roof.

Growing Brasil philodendron in Australia

Position and climate. Bright indirect light gives the best variegation and the fastest growth. Sun through glass scorches the leaves, while deep shade stretches the stems and fades the stripe. It is frost tender, so outdoors it belongs to the tropics and subtropics, and elsewhere it is an indoor plant.

Soil. A quality indoor potting mix opened up with perlite or fine bark, holding moisture around the roots without ever turning to mud.

Water and feed. Water when the top few centimetres feel dry, roughly weekly in summer and fortnightly in winter, then tip out the saucer. A half strength liquid feed monthly in spring and summer keeps new leaves large.

Pruning. Cut long bare stems back to just above a leaf node in the warm months and the plant branches from that point. Those cuttings root in water in about three weeks, the cheapest way to thicken a pot.

What to expect when it arrives

It is sold in 140mm pots in packs of ten and 200mm pots in packs of six. The 140mm plants are young, with a few trailing stems each, and are the value option for filling several pots. The 200mm plants can go straight into a decorative pot.

A creased leaf or two from the box is normal and settles. Give it a week to adjust before watering heavily, and expect new leaves within a month in warm weather. Delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95, minimum order of $300 before delivery, with our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read the philodendron care guide for watering and repotting detail
• How to keep your indoor plants alive
• Browse the wider indoor plants range
• Pair it with an indoor pot that drains properly

Common questions

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

No. Like all philodendrons it contains calcium oxalate crystals, and chewing the leaves brings on mouth irritation, drooling and vomiting. Hang or shelve it out of reach where pets roam.

Why is my new growth plain green?

Not enough light. Move it closer to a window with bright indirect light and the stripe returns on later leaves. Prune the plain stems off once marked growth appears.

How do I make it bushier instead of leggy?

Prune the long stems back to a node, root the cuttings, then plant them into the same pot. Regular tip pruning in spring and summer does more for fullness than feeding.

Can I grow it outdoors?

Only in a frost free tropical or subtropical garden, in a shaded sheltered spot such as a covered courtyard. Further south a summer outside is fine, but it comes in before winter.