The heavily bullate green to dark-green oval leaves with deep-lobed base with all veins above sunken make Philodendron lynnhannoniae an adorable tropical addition to your home or office.
We also love its terete petioles scale on the upper 4 inches. Also, it is easy to care for and air purifying.
Discover more about Philodendron lynnhannoniae, including its appearance (leaves, stems, and flowers) and care needs. We will also give you places to buy it and how much you may spend.
About Philodendron lynnhannoniae
Philodendron lynnhannoniae Croat, first published in 2016 in Aroideana 39, is an accepted species from Colombia to Ecuador. Dr. Croat named this aroid after Lynn Peters Hannon, an artist, sculptor, and Araceae collector whom he worked with for almost a decade.
- Scientific name: Philodendron lynnhannoniae
- Lower classification: Subgenus Philodendron section Philodendron subsection Achyropodium
- Family: Araceae (aroids)
- Native habitat: Colombia and Ecuador
- Care level: Easy or low maintenance
- Toxicity: All plant parts are toxic to dogs, cats, and humans since it has insoluble calcium oxalates.
- Propagation: Propagation is by stem cutting in water or soil. Seeds are rare or hard to find.
1. Growing habits, growth rate, and size
Philodendron lynnhannoniae is an evergreen plant that grows mainly as a terrestrial and sometimes as a hemiepiphyte. It occurs in premontane rain, and wet forest life zones at 380-1800 meters above mean sea level.
Lynnhannoniae has a moderate growth rate and can reach several feet tall at home, especially if you give it a place to climb.
2. How to identify Philodendron lynnhannoniae
Leaves, flowers, and stems will help you further identify this plant. Here is what they look like:
a). Stems
Stems have short, dark green glossy or matte turning gray-green internodes and fleshy, moderately glossy green cataphylls about 5.9 inches long. These cataphylls may be unribbed or, bluntly, single-ribbed and persist as loose pale fiber networks with some epidermis fragments.
b). Leaves
Philodendron lynnhannoniae has sub-leathery to thinly leathery, conspicuously bullet-textured oval leaves with a deeply lobed base and a long acuminate apex. These leaves are weakly gloss, medium to dark green above, pale and matte below, with all veins, deeply sunken above, with the widest part near the middle.
- Leaf size: 6.8-16.9 long, 3.5-9.1 inches wide (1.6-2 times long as broad), widest at the middle
- Midrib: Deeply sunken and paler above, round-raised, and the same color as the underside
- Primary lateral veins: 9-10 pairs, sunken above, prominently raised, and concolorous below and branches to form an extensive cross-vein network.
- Posterior lobes: Project inwards beyond the rear rib
- Basal veins: 3-5, resemble primary lateral veins with lower ones merging to form a short, thick rear rib and having an extensive cross-vein network.
- Posterior rib: Short (0.6-1.8 inches long), well-developed
- Sinus: 0.6-1.8 inches wide
- Cross and tertiary veins: Sunken above, raised beneath the leaf
Lastly, lynnhannoniae has medium to dark green terete petioles, measuring 7.9-26.4 inches long. These petioles have pale green apical scales and a weakly sulcate, moderately glossy, transversely scaly upper 4-inch section.
c). Flowers
Mature P. lynnhannoniae will produce one inflorescent per axil with a greenish peduncle, spathe, and spadix. The spathe resembles a lobster pincher with a distinctive bulbous green tube and a narrower whitish open blade with a short, greenish apex.
On the other hand, the spadix has a staminate that protrudes from the tube, a shorter sterile (middle) portion with a faintly purplish base, and the pistillate at the bottommost part.
Philodendron lynnhannoniae vs. furcatum
Yes, lynnhannoniae does resemble Philodendron furcatum Croat & D. C. Bay, with some people mislabelling these two. However, furcatum leaves are more triangular and widest near the base, not the middle.
The other difference is that the P. furcatum’s lower side is much paler than the upper side compared to lynnhannoniae. Also, its lateral veins are spaced far and don’t have inflorescences with a bulbous tube, and the spadix doesn’t protrude from the spathe.
Caring for Philodendron lynnhannoniae
Philodendron lynnhannoniae needs a warm, humid place with bright, indirect light. Grow it in well-drained and airy soil rich in organic matter and water it when the few top inches of the potting mix feel dry.
Here is all you need to know about P. lynnhannoniae care and growth requirement
1. Growing conditions – temp, humidity, and light
Philodendron lynnhannoniae will optimally grow in a warm (55-80°F), humid (60% RH or more) with bright, indirect light. Medium indirect light is ok, but you should avoid too little (slow growth and make new growth pale) or direct sun (will burn leaves).
While it loves high humidity, this aroid can tolerate humidities as low as 40%. If yours is too low, get a humidifier, have a pebble tray, and mist your plant, among other ways to raise humidity. Otherwise, leaves may curl, have brown tips or edges, or even wilt. Also, you will not be comfortable.
The USDA hardiness zone for people who want to grow this plant outdoors is 10-11. They are not frost resistant. Therefore, you should move any plant indoors when the temperature goes below 50°F.
Also, avoid sudden temperature fluctuations, places near heat sources, or cold drafts, as they will stress and damage this plant.
2. Best potting mix
Lynnhannoniae is not a fussy plant and will grow in any well-aerated and drained potting mix rich in organic matter. I use an aroid mix (see Etsy.com). But you can make yours by adding 20% perlite, 20 % coco coir, 10% bark chips, and some compost and warm castings to about 50% potting soil. Also, you can add some horticultural charcoal.
3. How to properly water Philodendron lynnhannoniae?
This plant loves moist soil, not soggy, as it will cause root rot. Also, letting your soil bone dry in-between watering will affect its health.
I recommend watering your lynnhannoniae with the soil that feels dry up to the first knuckle of your finger or if you have a soil moisture meter when the reading is dry.
A brand like XLUX will do the job well. It is affordable, doesn’t need power, and is very precise. I thoroughly water my plant when it reads three or less. Don’t follow watering schedules, as water needs vary.
Lastly, when watering, slowly saturate the potting mix until excess water flowers from drainage holes. After about 20 minutes, discard any that collects in the pot saucer.
4. Should I feed my lynnhannoniae?
Yes. This aroid needs moderate feeding. For instance, you can feed it once a month with a balanced like NPK 10:10:10 or 20:20:20 liquid houseplant fertilizer during growing months. Miracle-Gro or Bonide will do the job.
However, you can use other brands for potted or houseplants, including unbalanced and slow-release formulas. Please follow what the manufacturer recommends and start applying in early spring.
5. What else is necessary?
Besides the above, additional care needs include the following:
- Pruning: Regularly remove damaged/dead/diseased parts with sterilized gardening scissors. Also, you can cut back a few stems during growth months to control growth or size.
- Repotting: Repot after every 1-2 years or when rootbound. Use a pot that is 1-2 inches wider in diameter.
- Support: Provide and train this plant on a moss pole, trellis, or totem. It looks much better and will grow larger. However, if outdoors, you can let it grow terrestrially in a shaded area.
Possible issues and problems
Due to improper care and incorrect growing conditions, you will have the usual ones like leaf discoloration (turning yellow or brown, including tips, margins, and spots), leaf curling, or your plant drooping.
However, although uncommon, pests (aphids, spider mites, scale insects, and mealybugs, diseases may also be a problem. They can also cause leaf discoloration and curling.
If you overwater this plant or don’t use a well-draining potting mix, one likely issue is root rot.
Where to buy Philodendron lynnhannoniae
To get this plant, you much dig much deeper. Even on Etsy.com, eBay, Facebook, or Instagram, you will only find a handful of people selling it. One good thing about these marketplaces and social media platforms is they have vendors even beyond the US, i.e., the UK, Canada, Australia, Asia, etc.
Additionally, try searching for this plant on major search engines, i.e., Bing and Google, to see if they recommend any vendor near you.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
1. Is Philodendron lynnhannoniae rare?
Yes. P. lynnhannoniae is an extremely rare and hard-to-find houseplant that only a few rare aroid collectors have. You are unlikely to find it in your local tropical plant store, and the last time I checked, no large-scale horticulturalists or big box stores have it.
2. How much is lynnhannoniae?
Philodendron lynnhannoniae ranges from $50 to $250, depending on where you buy it and the plant size. Even at this hefty price, you will still not get many vendors.