Heartleaf philodendron
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Middling It gives warning, with time to act.
Also called Parlor Ivy, Philodendron, Sweetheart Plant and vilevine.
Heartleaf philodendron is toxic
- Toxic to cats. Toxic principle: Insoluble calcium oxalates. Clinical signs: Oral irritation, pain and swelling of mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting (not horses), difficulty swallowing. ASPCA
- Toxic to dogs. Toxic principle: Insoluble calcium oxalates. Clinical signs: Oral irritation, pain and swelling of mouth, tongue and lips, excessive drooling, vomiting (not horses), difficulty swallowing. ASPCA
- Toxic to people. Harmful when eaten; irritates skin and eyes and can cause allergy. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it. RHS
What the sources say about its care
Sources file this plant under other names: Philodendron scandens subsp. oxycardium (Clemson Extension). Citations below point at the name its source uses.
- Light
- Medium light 100–150 fcClemson Extension, filed as Philodendron scandens subsp. oxycardium · read 11 September 2026Partial shadeRHS · read 11 September 2026
- Water
- Moist but well-drainedRHS · read 11 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%Penn State Extension · read 11 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H1A — warmer than 15°C 15 °CRHS · read 11 September 2026- Soil
- Loam; pH Acid or NeutralRHS · read 11 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- ToxicASPCA · read 11 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- ToxicASPCA · read 11 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- Harmful when eaten; irritates skin and eyes and can cause allergy. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it.RHS · read 11 September 2026
How it usually goes wrong
- A thin dry rim that crumbles between the fingers
Tips first on a heartleaf philodendron, then margins. Affected tissue is papery and slightly curled, and the damage stops rather than advancing once conditions change.
Heated air holds less water than the plant loses into it, so moisture leaves the leaf faster than it arrives. Penn State Extension cites ASHRAE's indoor range of 30% to 60% relative humidity, and winter heating often takes a room below it.
Telling it apart: When it started. Edges that browned as the heating came on point at air; edges that browned through a wet summer do not.
Penn State ExtensionHeartleaf philodendron leggy, leaning growth: causes- The leaves nearest the soil turn yellow and hang
The lowest leaf blades of the heartleaf philodendron go yellow and translucent at the stalk and drop with a light pull, while the compost stays wet.
Kept wetter than the moist but well-drained its source describes, the root tips die back. A plant with fewer working roots cannot drink, which looks from above exactly like one that has not been watered.
Telling it apart: The smell. Healthy compost smells of earth; compost that has been wet too long does not.
RHSHeartleaf philodendron leaves turning yellow: causes- The vine grows thin and sparse, and leans
Growth on the side of the heartleaf philodendron away from the light slows or stops, so the plant becomes lopsided over a few months.
Its source puts it in medium light. Under that, each new leaf blade costs more than it returns, so the plant builds fewer and thinner ones.
Telling it apart: What the newest growth looks like beside the oldest. Light changes what arrives next; feeding changes what is already on the plant.
Clemson ExtensionHeartleaf philodendron leggy, leaning growth: causes
Not sure which it is? Ask the diagnosis questions for Heartleaf philodendron.
Routine care
- Watering
- Keep the soil a little moist, and water less in winter.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026In the growing season, let the compost surface get just dry, then water the compost thoroughly. Do not leave plants standing in water, as this can rot the roots. In winter, when growth slows greatly, water less often and pause feeding until spring.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- From April to September, feed monthly with a liquid houseplant fertiliser. In winter, as growth slows greatly, water less often and stop feeding until spring.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Repotting
- Repot every 2 to 3 years.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- Stem cuttingsNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Increase from leaf-bud or stem-tip cuttings.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- Pruning is not needed.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by banded greenhouse thrips.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Mealybugs, glasshouse red spider mite and scale insects can attack it. Disease is uncommon.RHS · read 13 September 2026
Move something and watch
Loading the simulator. It needs JavaScript; the care table above does not.
Photographs
About the plant
Philodendron hederaceum, the heartleaf philodendron is a species of flowering plant in the family Araceae, native to Central America and the Caribbean which is common in the houseplant trade. Philodendron hederaceum var. hederaceum, the "velvet philodendron," is a subspecies which is in the houseplant trade under its previous name of Philodendron micans. While toxic under certain conditions, it is also under current review for numerous health benefits.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- Mexico to Trop. AmericaWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Mexico to Tropical AmericaNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Mexico to Tropical AmericaRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- wet tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- epiphyteWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Herbaceous Perennial, Vine; habit cascading, climbing, spreadingNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Climbing (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 4–72 in; width 6–72 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 1.5-2.5 metres; spread 0.5-1 metres after 5–10 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers green, whiteNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers green in summer; white in summerRHS · read 13 September 2026
Common problems with Heartleaf philodendron
Other Philodendron
Blushing PhilodendronSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
- No photograph yetPhilodendron angustisectumSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Philodendron elegansSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
- No photograph yetPhilodendron mexicanumSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Silver Sword PhilodendronSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
Winterbourn PhilodendronSourced care, difficulty not yet judged
More of the Araceae family
Arrowhead plantEdges of the leaf blades brown while the middle stays sound
Calla lilyEdges of the leaves brown while the middle stays sound
Dumb caneLeaf tips go crisp and brown
Elephant earCrisp margins that appear in winter
Flamingo flowerBrown brittle margins with a green centre
MonsteraBrown brittle margins with a green centre
Plants with similar care
BougainvilleaCrisp margins that appear in winter
Creeping figLeaf blade tips go crisp and brown
English ivyCrisp margins that appear in winter
Purple passionLeaf blade tips go crisp and brown
Rubber plantCrisp margins that appear in winter
Swiss cheese vineEdges of the leaf blades brown while the middle stays sound
Sources
- ASPCA · read 11 September 2026
- Clemson Extension · read 11 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 11 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.