Houseplant · Araceae
Xanadu Philodendron
Philodendron xanadu
Give it bright, indirect light and steady moisture, and this self-heading philodendron fills a corner without asking much of you.
Bright indirect
65–75°F · 18–24°C
USDA 9–11
2–5 ft · 0.6–1.5 m
Overview
The Xanadu philodendron is a compact, self-heading houseplant that people grow for its deeply lobed, glossy green leaves. It's part of the arum family and it goes back to Philodendron bipinnatifidum, though it really stands on its own as a patented selection. Indoors it settles into a neat, rounded clump that keeps its shape all by itself, so there's no staking or training to bother with.
So what makes it such an easy pick? It's just really forgiving. It likes bright indirect light, but it'll happily take the shadier corners that would stall a fussier plant, and if you miss a watering here and there, no big deal. Give it a warm room and a pot that drains, and honestly it pretty much runs itself.
Size is the one thing you'll want to think about up front. A grown plant stretches 3 to 6 feet (91 to 183 cm) wide, so it's after some floor space, not a spot on a crowded shelf. But that's a fair trade, because what you get is a full, sculptural plant that more than earns its keep.
Care
The short version: give it bright indirect light, keep the soil evenly moist but never soggy, and a warm room somewhere between 65°F and 75°F (18°C to 24°C). Feed it monthly through spring and summer, and leave it some room to spread out.
Light
Give it bright, indirect light and you'll get the fullest, most compact growth. It handles partial shade and even deep shade better than most houseplants, but in real gloom the leaves spread apart and the plant gets leggy. Just keep it out of harsh midday sun, since that can scorch the foliage.
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist while it's actively growing, and let the surface dry just a bit between waterings. It's got moderate drought tolerance, so a short dry spell won't hurt it, but standing water is a whole different story. And remember, overwatering is the number one reason the leaves go yellow.
Soil
Pot it in a rich, humus-heavy mix that holds moisture but still drains well. It's not picky about texture at all, so sand, loam, or clay all work, and it's happy anywhere from acidic to slightly alkaline. The one thing it won't put up with? A pot that stays waterlogged.
Temperature
Indoors it likes a steady 65°F to 75°F (18°C to 24°C), which is just normal room warmth for most homes. It's got no frost tolerance, so keep it away from cold drafts and chilly windowsills once winter rolls in.
Humidity
Regular household humidity is plenty, so there's no number you need to hit. A little extra moisture in the air does keep the leaves looking their best, and it helps keep spider mites away too, since those pests love hot, dry rooms.
Feeding
Feed it monthly with a balanced liquid houseplant fertilizer through spring and summer, while it's putting on new growth. Then ease off through fall and winter as things slow down. Steady, light feeding beats the occasional big dose every time.
Pruning
It's a low-maintenance plant that barely needs any shaping thanks to that self-heading habit. Just take off the old, yellowed, or damaged leaves at the base whenever you see them. Pop on some gloves or wash up afterward, though, since cut stems leak an irritating sap.
Repotting
Repot it every 1 to 2 years, or whenever you notice roots poking out the drainage holes, growth slowing down, or water running straight through the pot. Bump it up to the next pot size with fresh mix in spring. That wide-spreading clump really appreciates the extra root room.
Size & spacing
A grown plant hits 2 to 5 feet (61 to 152 cm) tall and spreads out a generous 3 to 6 feet (91 to 183 cm) across. So give it floor space and enough room for air to move around the clump, instead of squeezing it onto a crowded shelf.
Troubleshooting
Most of the trouble you'll run into starts down at the roots or shows up first on the leaves. Overwatering is the usual suspect, with a handful of common houseplant pests not far behind. Just match up what you're seeing below and step in early, and you'll be fine.
Yellow leaves creeping up from the bottom
If the lower leaves go yellow and the color keeps climbing, that's usually overwatering talking, not a hungry plant. The roots are just stuck in soggy mix with nowhere for the water to drain off to. So let the top of the soil dry out before the next watering, double-check that the pot actually drains, and pinch the worst leaves off at the base.
Fix:
- Allow soil to dry slightly before next watering
- Ensure the pot and soil drain freely
- Remove badly yellowed leaves at the base
Speckled, bronze leaves with a hint of webbing
Seeing tiny speckles, a bronze tint, and fine webbing? That's spider mites, and hot, dry air is what invites them in. Flip a leaf over and you'll spot the little specks moving around with thin webs on the underside. Give the foliage a good rinse, wipe it down, treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, and keep the plant off on its own until it's clear.
Fix:
- Rinse foliage and wipe leaves clean
- Treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil
- Isolate the affected plant
Fuzzy white tufts or brown bumps and a sticky film
White fuzzy clumps usually mean mealybugs, and those little brown limpet-like bumps on the stems are scale, and both of them leave a sticky honeydew behind. Grab a cotton swab, dip it in alcohol, and dab each bug directly. Then follow up with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil, and just keep at it until no new ones turn up.
Fix:
- Dab insects with an alcohol-moistened swab
- Apply insecticidal soap or horticultural oil
- Repeat treatments until clear
New growth going twisted with little bugs on it
Soft-bodied aphids love to pile onto tender new leaves, and slim thrips leave a silvery speckling as they feed. Knock the aphids off with a stream of water, treat with insecticidal soap, and snip away anything that's really overrun. And go easy on the feeding for a while, because a burst of soft new shoots is exactly the kind of thing that draws them in.
Fix:
- Rinse off aphids with a stream of water
- Treat with insecticidal soap
- Remove heavily infested growth
Dark spots turning up across the leaves
Those separate brown spots, sometimes with a yellow ring around them, come from fungal leaf-spot that gets going on wet leaves. It really takes off when the air's damp and humid. So pick off the spotted leaves, open things up so air can move through, and water down at the soil so the leaves don't stay wet.
Fix:
- Remove affected leaves
- Improve air circulation
- Avoid wetting foliage when watering
Toxicity
This one's toxic, so you'll want to be careful with it around pets, livestock, and kids. Every part of it holds insoluble calcium oxalate crystals that burn the mouth and throat the second they're chewed, which brings on drooling, swelling, and trouble swallowing. Nothing on it is edible, and even the sap can irritate skin and eyes, so wash your hands after you prune.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Moderate
One bite into a leaf lets loose those sharp calcium oxalate crystals, and a cat feels the sting right away. You'll likely see a lot of drooling, pawing at the muzzle, some vomiting, and trouble swallowing.
Dogs Moderate
A chew brings on a strong burning across the lips and tongue, and the drooling and gagging usually aren't far behind. The good part? Most dogs spit it out fast, so they don't tend to eat a whole lot.
Horses Toxic
Those same crystals inflame a horse's mouth and throat, so it ends up drooling and just not wanting to eat. And after a mouthful, the tongue and lips can swell up too.
Rabbits Toxic
The crystals bother a rabbit's mouth and gut just as easily, so it's worth keeping the leaves totally out of reach. A rabbit that's hurting will often quit eating, and that on its own is a real problem.
Livestock Toxic
Goats, sheep, and cattle that take a bite of the leaves get the same burning mouth and upset stomach. Once that first bite stings, though, they usually decide to leave it alone.
Birds Caution
A curious bird that pecks at it can pick up the same mouth irritation and drooling from the crystals. So it's smart to keep cages and perches nowhere near the plant.
People Caution
None of this plant is meant to be eaten, full stop. A chewed leaf burns the mouth and can puff up the lips and tongue, and the sap stings skin and eyes, so wash your hands once you're done handling cut stems.
Sap can irritate skin, eyes and mucous membranes; wash hands after pruning or handling cut 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
How to propagate
Making more of this philodendron at home is genuinely easy, whether you split up an established clump or root a cutting taken from the base.
DivisionEasy
Spring to summer · A few weeks to re-establish roots
Want the easiest way to get more? Division is it, and that clumping, self-heading habit does a lot of the work for you. Just slide an established plant out of its pot in spring or summer and tease it apart into rooted sections, keeping each one with its own offsets. Give them a little time and the divisions settle right in and push out fresh roots within a few weeks.
Stem cuttingsModerate
Spring to summer · Several weeks to root
You can root stem cuttings too, which is something the Missouri Botanical Garden mentions right alongside seed. Take a basal cutting with a node on it in spring or summer, then give it several weeks to root. Most of the plants you'll find for sale are tissue-cultured instead of grown this way, but it still works just fine at home.
Myths
Now that it's been reclassified, Thaumatophyllum xanadu is the only right name.
It's true that a 2018 study shifted a bunch of Philodendron species over to Thaumatophyllum, but the debate isn't actually settled. Kew's Plants of the World Online still lists Philodendron xanadu as the accepted name and treats Thaumatophyllum xanadu as a synonym, so where the genus really belongs is still up in the air between the experts.
Xanadu is really just a dwarf version of the split-leaf philodendron.
Not so, because it's a selection all its own, trademarked XANADU and patented as 'Winterbourn' under US plant patent PP7030. It came from seed of Philodendron bipinnatifidum with unknown parentage, and Kew treats it as its own species rather than a shrunk-down selloum.