Stats

Lifespan

Perennial

Size

Large

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Tropical rainforest

Range

South America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Toxins

Status

Uncommon

About

This climbing plant clings to Colombian rainforest trees with thick red stems. Its variegated leaves produce a milky sap that seals off wounds within seconds.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Liliopsida

Order

Alismatales

Family

Araceae

Genus

Philodendron

Species

Philodendron erubescens