Philodendron melanochrysum
A climbing, velvet-leaved Philodendron endemic to very wet foothill rainforest of Antioquia and Chocó in western Colombia, at about 500-800 m. Juveniles have small heart-shaped leaves that turn into long, pendent, near-black velvety blades with a golden sheen once the plant climbs. It has been cultivated since the 1880s and is easy to grow if kept warm, humid, well-watered and given something to climb.
Where it grows wild
A scandent hemiepiphyte with slender stems (internodes about 6-10 cm) that climbs tree trunks in the understory and lower canopy of very wet foothill rainforest. Young growth can be bright yellowish or salmon-red; adult blades lengthen dramatically as the stem ascends, and in cultivation can exceed a metre.
About 500-800 m on the Andean foothills; measured wild records span 550-800 m (median 800 m), agreeing with the literature.
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Profiles are drafts built from measured range and climate and from published sources; each section carries its own confidence in the app.