Scientific name: philodendron xanadu
Family: Araceae
Climate: Equatorial, Ocean, Subtropical, Tropical
Origin: South America, Brazil
Height: 0.6  to 1.2 meters
Luminosity: Diffuse Light, Half Shade, Shade
Life cycle: Perennial
 
Philodendron xanadu is a herbaceous or subshrub plant, of the philodendrons family. Initially it was thought that it was a cultivar, the result of hybridizations with the species Philodendron bipinnatifidum, carried out by an Australian nursery. This nursery patented and marketed the species for decades under the name of philodendron ‘Winterbourn’, and then Philodendron ‘Xanadu’. Later it was discovered that the plant was the result of collecting seeds in southeastern Brazil, where the species was recently discovered and described.
The philodendron xanadu differs from most philodendrons that we know by presenting compact growth, instead of climbing. It forms a small bush up to one meter in diameter and height. Its main attraction is the leaves, shiny, deeply lobed, with well-marked veins and supported by erect and strong petioles. The stem is marked by the scars of fallen leaves. It also emits, over time, some small aerial roots. The inflorescences are of the spadix type, reddish, and have little ornamental importance.
 
It should preferably be cultivated in semi-shade or filtered light, in soil fertile, humous, enriched and irrigated frequently. Likes tropical heat and humidity, but is able to tolerate the cold of subtropical or southern temperate regions. Its leaves burn with frost, but the plant regrows in spring. Even so, it is advisable to protect it in the cold period, as regrowth can slow down the growth of the plant and elongate its stem. Fertilize monthly with fertilizers suitable for foliage, rich in nitrogen.