Philodendron Mamei is a pleasant tropical plant that has stunning, enormous, dark-green leaves. These striking leaves are variegated; they have silver smudges all over them, giving the foliage a cloudy appearance; hence this wonderful plant is also known as Silver Cloud. The leaves are creased and have deep, glossy veins. This plant’s foliage has more of a softer texture than a leathery one, unlike its fellow species.
It is an epiphytic creeper that is naturally found in forests, creeping and climbing over other trees. These magnificent plants can be grown indoors as well as outdoors in home gardens. You can grow these Phils in hanging baskets, in patios, or a pot with a totem in your living room.
Common Names
- Quilted Silver Leaf
- Silver Cloud
Classification
- Family: Araceae
- Subfamily: Aroideae
- Genus: Philodendron
Origin and Distribution
Philodendron Mamei was first identified in 1883. It is native to Ecuador and Peru. It is found in tropical regions of South America. This philodendron plant naturally grows in Ecuadorian rainforests or along the streams under shady areas.
Philodendron Mamei Features
Foliage and Stem
This pretty plant has large leaves that are 25-45 cm long. They have deep, long veins. The leaves are soft, glossy, and dark-green. They have creamy silver markings all over them. The silver markings look like smudges or smears.
These plants are flowering plants that have inflorescences as their reproductive parts. They do not have showy flowers. The spadix and spathe are the reproductive parts that are purple-peach in color; these are mostly hidden under the leaves.
This splendid plant is held up by a 3 meter long, woody stem. Olive-green petioles hold the leaves. These petioles are reddish at their base. The rich foliage is the real beauty of this dazzling plant.
Evergreen
Philodendron Mamei is an evergreen plant. You will never lose sight of its pretty leaves; its foliage remains fresh throughout the year.
Height
This plant reaches a height of 3.2 feet. These plants, due to their average height, will look best in room corners. You will be adorning your room as well as keeping it airy-fresh by placing this Phil in one of its corners.
Temperature Tolerance
These plants are from the tropical rainforests; they like it warm and moist. These cannot tolerate scorching heat or cold. It is better to keep your Philodendron at an average room temperature. Freezing temperature can stunt their growth by causing chilly injuries; the high temperature will harm its rich foliage by damaging and wilting the leaves.
Humidity Tolerance
Tropical plants never say ‘No’ to high humidity. However, lower levels of surrounding moisture are not favorable for these plants. It is better to regulate the humidity of the room or the home garden; in which it is kept. Placing your whole collection of plants near to each other will help with it and increase the humidity levels at a surprising rate.
Drought Resistance
Philodendron Mamei is a hardy, drought-tolerant plant that can tolerate prolonged periods of water shortage. However, it does not mean that you let your Philo die of thirst. A period of drought will leave irreversible effects on this plant; however, your plant will continue to live after it.
Pressure Tolerance
It is a hard plant that can survive through a fair amount of neglect. It can tolerate a little external pressure from the nearby plants, somewhat harsh conditions, and a teeny tiny carelessness.
Disease and Pest Resistance
It is a gorgeous plant with enormous leaves that are not much bothered by pests or insects. Some pests, such as mealybugs, aphids, thrips, moths, shore flies, fungus gnats, and scales, may lurk around this mamei Philodendron but you need not worry about them. Getting rid of them is easy-peasy; just mist your plant with a mixture of neem oil and water.
It is susceptible to certain diseases. Erwinia blight and Pseudomonas leaf spot are two of the common diseases of this plant. Your best chance at saving our whole plant from being infected is to cut out the infected leaves and parts and keep your plant away from your other plants. You should also stop misting it for a while as spritzing can spread the infection quickly.
Growth
This creeper is a slow grower that takes almost a year to attain its mature height. However, its growth rate increases significantly by letting it climb over a totem or a tree. Its leaves tend to occupy and fill an area of 50 cm.
It grows best in USDA growth zones of 9-12.
Toxicity
Do not fall for the beauty of this charismatic plant, as it is pretty toxic to your pets. Its leaves contain calcium oxalate crystals that will cause swelling of the esophagus, mouth, and GIT. Try to keep your pets away from this sweet poison.
Durability
These tropical climbers are quite durable that can live with you for several years; you just have to follow their little list of requirements.
Maintenance
This stunning plant almost grows on its own; it is a low-maintenance plant. If you are a black thumb and want to grow a plant, this easy-to-maintain plant is your best choice. The only task that you will have to do is to watch it grow and flourish.
Dormancy
It will go dormant in winters; it will stop growing and developing. You should cut out its watering and feeding frequency in those months of dormancy.
Philodendron Mamei Care
Caring for Philodendron Mamei is an easy breeze. It needs to be watered once or twice a week. The best soil for its lush growth is rich, organic, and loose soil with a pH of 5.6-6.5. The ideal growing conditions are 70-80% of sunshine and 12-30ºC of temperature.
Water Requirements
Just like all the other tropical plants, Philodendron Mamei prefers to be watered regularly but, over-watering and standing water can be harmful to its roots. Make sure to check the topsoil before watering your mamei Philodendron. If the top inches of the soil is dry, it is safe to water your plant.
The watering frequency of this Phil depends a lot on the climate, soil type, location, and time of the year. In summers, you have to water this plant twice a week, while in winters, watering it once every week will be enough. If you live in a colder region, you have to water it less than if you are in a tropical region. The placement of your plant in your home also affects a lot on its watering requirements. Outdoor Phils require more watering than indoor pots.
Sunlight
These plants are found climbing over the trees or along the streams under full shade. This means they prefer filtered and shaded sun. 70% to 80% of light exposure is ideal for the lush growth of mamei Philodendron. This high proportion is necessary for the production of chlorophyll that induces the dark-green color of its magnificent leaves.
The best spot to place your Phil is a window facing east or west where it receives filtered sunlight. If you live in a temperate region, you should grow this plant inside your walls and keep it under artificial lights.
Soil Requirement
Every plant flourishes in well-draining soil. Better drainage means better aeration, and better aeration lets the extra water drip down the drainage holes. This will protect the roots from getting root rot. It is better to use organic, rich, and loose soil. You can increase the drainage of the soil by adding a little sand or perlite into it.
Organic soil is what ensures the lush growth of the stunning foliage of this Philodendron Mamei. You can add organic matter into its soil to increase its fertility, such as mulch and garden compost.
Temperature
These beautiful Philodendrons from the Araceae family are fans of warmer temperatures. An indoor temperature of 30ºC is ideal for this plant to thrive and flourish. Being a tropical plant, it cannot tolerate freezing temperatures. If you are growing this plant outdoor, keep track of the outdoor temperatures. As soon as the temperature falls below 12ºC, move the plant indoors; otherwise, your gorgeous plant might get chilly injuries.
Humidity
High humidity is the magic ingredient that will keep your Philodendron fresh and green. Maintaining the indoor humidity to a tropical level is nearly impossible; however, you can still increase the humidity inside your walls by planting a humidifier in your room. Mist your Phil regularly to provide it adequate moisture. Frequent misting will also prevent your plant from getting attacked by harmful pests and insects.
Try adding bark, brick bits, coconut husk, peat moss, and other organic substances to its soil; this way, your plant can absorb extra moisture.
Fertilizer
Although this perennial plant is a slow grower, it does need to be fed every month or so. The ideal fertilizer for this plant is slow-release organic fertilizer. Chemical fertilizers will also do fine, but they are not available to the plant for a prolonged period. Nitrogen fertilizers are ideal for their lush growth.
In winters, add a diluted fertilizer to the soil only after 6 to 8 weeks. In the initial days after propagating and potting your new plant, add a triple-diluted fertilizer to its roots. It will help it grow at a relatively faster rate.
Grooming and Pruning
This filler plant does not like to be cut or pruned. It is better to leave your Philodendron Mamei as it is. Its big, enormous leaves and the stiff stem are self-heading; they need no pruning to groom and flourish.
Re-potting
These splendid plants grow to their mature heights in a year. You will have to re-pot them then. Once you notice bounded roots, re-pot your Phil right away. Always keep it in a bigger pot. 25×25 cm pot is suitable for a mamei Philodendron.
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Propagation
These plants are aroids that reproduce sexually through the pollens and flowers present in spadix. You can still propagate them through artificial methods by stem cuttings, tip cuttings, and plantlets.
You can easily propagate your Philodendron Mamei by following the below-mentioned steps:
- Carefully take a cutting from the plant by using sharp scissors. You can take a tip cutting or either a stem cutting.
- Make sure that the cutting still has at least three nodes.
- Take a pot filled with loose soil.
- Add a little sand and perlite to increase its drainage.
- Place the cutting into the soil in such a way that one node is beneath the soil surface while the other two are above the surface of the soil.
- Press the soil evenly.
- Place the pot in a well-lit spot where it receives bright light, but do not place it under direct sunlight.
- Keep the soil moist every time.
- Your new mini Phil will grow in just 1 to 2 weeks.
Final Thoughts
Who won’t love a leafy, air-purifying, climber plant in his house? Philodendron Mamei, a beautiful tropical plant having dark-green, heart-shaped leaves with silver markings, embellishes every corner and every room by spreading all-green, fresher vibes. This perennial plant has enormous leaves that will give a touch of nature to your indoors. You can decorate your patio or your living room with this climber. This plant is a MUST addition to your plant collection.
