Philodendron squamiferum ("Watagekazura")

Japanese name: ワタゲカズラ （綿毛葛）
Scientific name: Philodendron squamiferum

[Overview]
An evergreen climbing perennial.
It produces aerial roots from the stem nodes and climbs trees and the like.
The new shoots and young leaf stalks are tinged with red.
The leaves are alternate, long-ovate with 5 pinnate lobes, and heart-shaped at the base.
The leaves are glossy.
The leaf stalks are densely covered with thick pale green to red hairs.
It produces a spadix enclosed in a spathe.
The spathe is constricted in the middle and is white to pale green, but the lower part is tinged with red.
The fruit is a berry.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings.
It is safest to keep it at 10°C or above for overwintering.
It dislikes strong direct sunlight, so it is best placed in bright partial shade from spring to autumn and in a sunny spot indoors in winter.
It prefers well-drained soil, and can be grown on sphagnum moss or a tree fern board.
From spring to autumn, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries, and keep it on the dry side in winter.
It is also good to mist the leaves with a sprayer.
Apply liquid fertilizer once a week from spring to autumn.
Pests and diseases include soft rot, spider mites and scale insects.

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