Houseplant · Araceae
Heartleaf Philodendron
Philodendron hederaceum
Fast-growing, forgiving, and happy in a shady spot, the heartleaf philodendron wants little more than the odd drink.
Bright indirect
50–84°F · 10–29°C
USDA 11–12
3–13 ft · 1–4 m
Overview
Want green that won't give you a hard time? The heartleaf philodendron is the one people grab. Its glossy, heart-shaped leaves spill off a shelf or climb a pole, and it grows fast enough to fill a corner in a single season. It's from the forests of Mexico and tropical America, where it scrambles up tree trunks to get closer to the light, so climbing and trailing are just what it does.
The best part is how little it cares. It shrugs off low light, dry air, and a forgotten watering or two, which is exactly why you'll spot it in offices and dim hallways where pickier plants throw a fit. Give it medium to bright indirect light and it'll thank you with closer leaves and quicker growth, but less light won't hold a grudge.
There's one thing to settle before it moves in, though. Every part of it carries insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, so it's an irritant to pets, livestock, and people. Hang it up high or tuck it somewhere curious mouths can't reach, and you've got an easy, generous plant that'll stick around for years.
Care
The short version: give it bright indirect light but don't stress if it gets less, water only once the top inch of soil dries out, and feed it lightly through the growing season. Keep it warm and out of reach of pets and kids.
Light
It's happiest in bright indirect light, close to a window but out of the direct sun that'd scorch the leaves. It'll get by in medium light or even a dim corner, but the growth slows down and the stems stretch, so brighter's better if you've got it.
Water
Wait for the top inch of soil to dry before you water again, then water until it drains out the bottom. Ease off in winter, when it's drinking a lot less. And whatever you do, don't let it sit in soggy soil, since that's the quickest way to lose it.
Soil
Plant it in a rich, well-drained potting mix. The roots need air just as much as water, so a loose mix that drains easily keeps them healthy and keeps rot from creeping in.
Temperature
Regular room warmth is perfect, anywhere from 50°F to 84°F (10°C to 29°C). Just keep it above 50°F and away from cold drafts and heating vents, because a sudden chill will set it back.
Humidity
Everyday household humidity is totally fine, so there's no number to worry about. It does like a more humid spot and grows a touch faster there, but it won't sulk in dry winter air.
Feeding
Feed it monthly through spring and summer with a dilute water-soluble houseplant fertilizer. Ease off in fall and winter while growth slows, and go light rather than heavy, since too much salt browns the leaf tips.
Pruning
Pinch the stems back to keep it full instead of thin and leggy. Snip just above a leaf node, and here's a bonus: the cutting you take off can root right into a new plant.
Repotting
Bump it up a pot size every 1 to 2 years in spring, or sooner if roots start poking through the drainage holes and the soil dries out fast. A pot just a little bigger than the last keeps the roots from sitting in wet, unused soil.
Size & spacing
As a trailing or climbing vine, it can reach 3 to 13 feet (1 to 4 m) if you give it support, and it spreads 3 to 6 feet (90 to 180 cm) wide. Give it room to drape off a shelf, or set up a pole to train it upward.
Troubleshooting
Almost every problem here comes back to watering or light, and the plant gives you a heads-up early. Yellow leaves, stretched-out stems, the odd pest, those are your cues. Find what matches below and step in before a little issue digs in.
Mushy brown roots and a wilting plant
Soil that just won't dry out is what leads to root rot, and it's the worst thing this plant runs into. Tip it out of the pot, snip off anything brown and mushy, and get it into fresh mix that drains well. Then water a lot less, because soggy soil is what caused the whole mess.
Fix:
- Unpot and trim rotted roots
- Repot in fresh well-drained mix
- Reduce watering
Lower leaves turning yellow
Seeing yellow down near the base? That's usually overwatering, and not enough light comes in a close second. Have a feel of the soil, and if it's staying wet, back off the watering and double-check the pot actually drains. A move somewhere brighter, just not into direct sun, tends to sort it out.
Fix:
- Reduce watering
- Ensure drainage
- Move to brighter indirect light
White cottony tufts tucked into leaf joints
Those little cotton-ball blobs sitting where the leaves meet the stem? Those are mealybugs. Dab each one with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol, then go over the plant with insecticidal soap to get the rest. Keep it away from your other plants until it's totally clean.
Fix:
- Dab with alcohol-dipped swab
- Apply insecticidal soap
- Isolate plant
Fine webbing and speckled, dull leaves
Spider mites love dry air, and they'll leave behind fine webbing and a dull, speckly look on the leaves. Give the foliage a good rinse, hit it with insecticidal soap or a miticide, and don't skip the undersides, since that's where they hang out. Bumping up the humidity makes the whole plant a lot less appealing to them.
Fix:
- Rinse foliage
- Apply insecticidal soap or miticide
- Raise humidity
Hard brown bumps and a sticky residue
Hard brown bumps stuck to the stems that won't wipe off are scale insects, and the sticky stuff nearby gives them away. Scrape them off, then treat with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap to catch any you missed. Keep the plant off on its own while you deal with them.
Fix:
- Scrape off scales
- Apply horticultural oil or insecticidal soap
- Isolate plant
Long bare stems with leaves far apart
When the stems get long and the leaves spread way out, the plant's just hunting for more light. Shift it into medium or bright indirect light and the new growth comes in nice and tight again. And if you pinch those leggy stems back, you'll get fresh, bushier shoots popping out lower down.
Fix:
- Move to medium or bright indirect light
- Pinch stems to encourage branching
Brown, curling tips on the leaves
Crispy brown tips? That's usually fertilizer salts piling up in the soil from a bit too much feeding. Run plain water through the pot until it pours out the bottom, and that washes the salts away. After that, just feed less often and go easier on the strength.
Fix:
- Flush soil with water
- Reduce fertilizer rate
Clusters of small insects on new growth
Aphids pile onto the soft new growth and leave a sticky film behind. A firm rinse under the tap knocks most of them right off. If a few stragglers stick around, insecticidal soap takes care of them.
Fix:
- Rinse off with water
- Apply insecticidal soap
Toxicity
This isn't one to leave within reach of anyone who might take a bite. Every part holds insoluble calcium oxalate crystals that dig into the mouth and throat, bringing burning pain, loads of drooling, and swelling. It's an irritant to cats, dogs, horses, rabbits, livestock, birds, and people, and no part's safe to eat, so put it up high and out of the way and wash your hands after cutting it.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Moderate
If a cat bites a leaf, it gets a mouthful of sharp calcium oxalate crystals. You'll likely see drooling, pawing at the mouth, vomiting, and lips and tongue that puff up.
Dogs Moderate
A dog that chews one feels a strong burning in the mouth, plus lots of drooling and vomiting. And as the mouth swells, some dogs gag or have a hard time swallowing.
Horses Moderate
Those same crystals bother a horse's mouth and throat, so you'll see drooling and trouble swallowing. Best to keep this one well away from paddocks and feed.
Rabbits Toxic
The crystals are in every part, so even a nibble leaves a rabbit drooling and off its food. Don't keep it anywhere a rabbit gets to wander.
Livestock Toxic
Goats, sheep, and cattle hit the oxalates and end up with a sore mouth and no interest in eating. It really doesn't belong near grazing animals.
Birds Toxic
A curious bird that chews the leaves gets the same burning and swelling. Hang it or set it somewhere birds simply can't get to.
People Caution
There's no part you can eat. A bite burns the mouth and can swell up the lips and tongue, and the sap might leave your skin itchy, so wash up after pruning and keep it away from little kids.
Sap may irritate skin; wash hands after cutting stems
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Past the plain green species, growers have picked out a handful of cultivars worth knowing for their color and leaf feel.
'Brasil'
It's the one with a bright lime-yellow stripe painted right down the middle of each green leaf.
'Micans'
Its leaves feel velvety and shimmer bronze-green, with a reddish tint underneath.
'Lemon Lime'
The whole thing glows in a bright chartreuse that borders on neon yellow-green.
'Rio'
It's got cream and silver streaking down the center of every leaf.
How to propagate
You'd be hard pressed to find an easier plant to multiply. One cutting in a glass of water gets you a new plant in a few weeks, and if you want a bigger head start, a longer vine can be air layered.
Stem cuttingsEasy
Spring or growing season · Roots in 2-4 weeks
This is the easy way, and pretty much everyone goes with it. In spring or anytime through the growing season, snip a stem just below a node with a leaf or two on it, then pop it in water or press it into moist potting mix. Give it about 2 to 4 weeks and roots show up, and just like that you've got yourself a brand-new plant.
Air layeringModerate
Growing season · Several weeks
Air layering's the slower, more hands-on way, and it's worth a shot on a longer vine during the growing season. You nick a stem and wrap the spot to get roots going before you cut anything, and over several weeks you end up with a rooted piece you can pot up on its own.
Myths
Philodendrons clean the air in your home.
This one goes back to a sealed lab chamber, which is nothing like an actual room. A peer-reviewed study found a potted plant pulls out so few VOCs that just cracking a window beats it easily. So keep it because you like it, not to clean your air.
Heartleaf philodendron and pothos are the same plant.
They look almost identical, but they're actually from different genera. Check the petioles, since a philodendron's are smooth and a pothos has grooved ones, and new philodendron leaves unroll from a papery sheath that pothos just doesn't grow.
This plant is a deadly poison to children.
Sure, the insoluble calcium oxalate crystals cause real, painful mouth irritation, but they're rated low-severity, and anything serious is rare. Keep it out of a little one's reach, and if a leaf gets chewed, just rinse the mouth and keep an eye out. It's not an emergency.
It thrives in a dark corner.
It'll hang on in low light, sure, but it's really at its best in medium to bright indirect light. Stick it in deep shade and you'll watch the stems go thin and the leaves get sparse.
It needs high humidity to survive.
A little extra humidity makes it happy, but honestly it does just fine in normal household air. You don't need a mister or a pebble tray to keep one going.
Sources
- ASPCA Animal Poison Control
- North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (NC State)
- Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder
- Pet Poison Helpline
- University of Florida IFAS Gardening Solutions
- Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC
- Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
- Cummings & Waring 2020, J Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology (PubMed/NLM)
- Atlas of Florida Plants, Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida