Philodendron squamicaule

A climbing Philodendron from the very wet forests of south-eastern Nicaragua to Ecuador, recognised by its purplish petioles densely covered in scales that fade to a dried-blood red-brown. It is a hemiepiphyte of lowland and premontane rainforest, so it wants warm, very humid, shaded conditions and something to climb.

At home, aim for

Day Warm-growingTargets in Plantistry

Night Close to the dayTargets in Plantistry

Humidity Humid airBand in Plantistry

Light ShadeDLI and PPFD in Plantistry

No rest periodClimber

Where it grows wild

A hemiepiphyte climbing tree trunks in lowland and premontane wet forest, from the Caribbean slopes of Costa Rica and Panama to the Chocó of Colombia and north-western Ecuador. Collections come from forest, ridge crests and steep road banks in some of the wettest forest in the Americas.

GBIF records with an elevation run from about 90 to 1400 m, with a median of about 700 m.

NicaraguaCosta RicaPanamaColombiaEcuador

🔒 Growing it like that

The wild conditions above, turned into targets for a shelf, a tent or a greenhouse. The full profile has:

✓ Day and night temperature targets, and the limits it tolerates

✓ Humidity band, and how to hold it

✓ Light as DLI and PPFD for a grow light

✓ Wet and dry seasons, and whether to rest it

✓ Substrate and airflow

✓ A step-by-step setup to grow it like the wild

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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.