Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum (Syn. Philodendron bipinnatifidum) (Lacy Tree or Cut-Leaf Philodendron)

Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum on 8-19-11, #74-24.

LaCordatum, Fiddle-Leaf, Fruit Salad Plant, Heartleaf Philodendron, Horsehead Philodendron, Lacy Tree Philodendron, Panda Plant, Red Emerald, Red Princess, Saddleleaf, Split Leaf Philodendron, Tree Philodendron, and probably more…

Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum

Syn.

Philodendron bipinnatifidum

fil-oh-DEN-dron by-pin-uh-TIFF-ih-dum

Synonyms of Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum (6) (Updated on 11-14-22 from Plants of the World Online): Arum pinnatifidum Vell. (1881),  Philodendron bipinnatifidum Schott ex Endl. (1837), Philodendron pygmaeum Chodat & Vischer (1920), Philodendron selloanum K. Koch (1853), Philodendron sellowii André (1866), Sphincterostigma bipinnatifidum Schott (1832). There were three synonyms removed, including Philodendron selloum K.Koch… 

Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum (Schott ex Endl.) Sakur, Calazans & Mayo is the accepted name for this species. It was named and described as such by Cássia Mônica Sakuragui, Luana S.B. Calazans, and Simon Joseph Mayo in PhytoKeys in 2018. It was first named and described as Philodendron bipinnatifidum Schott ex Endl. by Stephan Friedrich Ladislaus Endlicher in Genera Plantarum in 1837. Mr. Endlicher used a previous description by Heinrich Wilhelm Schott and gave him credit for first naming and describing the species in Linnaea in 1831 (listed as nom. inval.). 

Original specimens of this species were collected by Mr. Schott in Brazil and were taken to the Schoenbrunn Palace Gardens in Vienna.

The genus, Thaumatophyllum Schott, was named and described as such by Heinrich Wilhelm Schott in Bonplandia in 1859.

As of 11-14-22 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online lists 21 species in the Thaumatophyllum genus. It is a member of the plant family Araceae with 139 genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made on POWO.

Due to testing, an old genus was resurrected and several former species of Philodendron were placed in it. For many years there was only one species in the Thaumatophyllum genus which was later transferred to Philodendron. Now it is back with 21 species!!! The link below to Quanta Magazine is a well-written article about it.

This AWESOME Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum belonged to Thomas and Tarlei Hitchcock who were very good friends of mine in Mississippi. They were actually like family and Thomas was like a brother. This plant was one of many plants I kept for them at the mansion for a while. This was also the pot I found the Alocasia gageana coming up in.

Many companies sell this plant as Philodendron selloum and at one time it was considered an accepted species. Research has proved that they are actually multiforms of the same species.

USEFUL INFORMATION:
Family: Araceae.
Origin: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay.
Zones: USDA Zones 9b-11 (25 to 40° F).
Size: Can grow to 15’ or more. Much smaller in pots.
Light: Light to part shade.
Soil: Well-drained .
Water: Average

There are many more websites that do a better job describing this plant than me. You can check the links below for further reading.

I hope you enjoyed this page and maybe found it useful. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, I would like to hear from you. Please click on “like” if you visited this page. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. 🙂

*The first two and the last four links are updated with the name Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum. The rest use the name Philodendron bipinnatifidum… 

FOR FURTHER READING:
PLANTS OF THE WORLD ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
WIKIPEDIA (GENUS/SPECIES)
MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN
DAVE’S GARDEN
FLORIDATA
LEARN2GROW
*THE EXOTIC RAINFOREST*
PLANTS ARE THE STRANGEST PEOPLE
SMALL HOUSE/BIG GARDEN
NORTH CAROLINA EXTENSION GARDENER
QUANTA MAGAZINE
HOUSE PLANT HOBBYIST
SAN MARCOS GROWERS
iNATURALIST

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