Philodendron ‘Burle Marx’s Fantasy’

Identity and cultivated history of Philodendron ‘Burle Marx’s Fantasy’

Philodendron ‘Burle Marx’s Fantasy’ is a cultivated clone whose exact botanical identity, early history and wild locality remain unknown. In specialist cultivation, it is associated with Roberto Burle Marx’s collection or garden.

How to care for Philodendron ‘Burle Marx’s Fantasy’

• Flat support from the start: Give the fine stem a close, flat surface early and fasten it gently so the leaves can overlap along the support. Reattach loose growth before it bends or rubs.
• Light and temperature: Provide bright diffuse light and steady temperatures around 18–29 °C. Avoid prolonged temperatures below 15 °C, particularly around moist propagation material or roots. Maintain gentle airflow around the stem and support.
• Humidity: Keep ambient humidity in the region of 50–60%.
• Moisture: Keep the root ball lightly and evenly moist while still allowing air through it. Water after part of the potting mix has dried, drain thoroughly, and avoid both saturation and repeated severe drying.
• Potting mix and pot size: Use an especially airy mix with free drainage. Choose the pot by the plant’s actual root system; the small shoots alone do not show how extensive the roots already are.
• Feeding: During a flush of new climbing growth, use complete fertiliser at a measured rate. Ease back when growth pauses.
• Repotting: Move Philodendron ‘Burle Marx’s Fantasy’ on when either the root system has filled the pot or the support can no longer be kept steady. Use a pot that fits the root system and keep the flat support secure; increase pot size slightly only when roots need more space.
• Propagation: Propagate from a firm healthy node in fresh airy mix, keeping the stem ventilated and only lightly moist.

Problems with Philodendron ‘Burle Marx’s Fantasy’ and what to do

• Leaves stop shingling or growth remains very small: The fine stem may have lost contact with its flat support, the light may be insufficient, or the roots may be struggling; this clone is also generally slow. Reattach the stem securely to a flat support, increase filtered light gradually and check that the roots are firm. Then allow the plant time to respond. Do not try to force larger growth with extra water or fertiliser.
• New leaves repeatedly tear or scar, with signs of thrips: First remove any source of rubbing, then check rolled growth and leaf undersides for irregular silvery marks, dark faecal specks or slender insects. If these signs confirm thrips, isolate the plant, rinse away accessible insects and remove the worst affected material where useful. Recheck rolled leaves, sheaths, crevices and undersides; sticky cards can monitor adults but will not control the infestation. If active thrips persist, use only a product labelled for indoor use on this plant and thrips, covering protected growth and leaf undersides, and repeat strictly as directed on the label.
• Fine stippling or bronzing, with signs of spider mites: Inspect the leaf undersides for moving mites, eggs, cast skins and fine webbing; webbing alone is not enough to confirm spider mites. If mites are present, isolate the plant, rinse both leaf surfaces, remove badly infested material where proportionate and recheck the undersides and new growth. If mites persist, use only an insecticidal soap or horticultural oil labelled for indoor use on this plant and spider mites. Cover the undersides thoroughly, patch-test if the label advises it, and repeat only at the label interval. Do not spray a moisture-stressed plant.
• A cutting or stem turns soft and dark: A buried stem in saturated or poorly aerated propagation medium can soften and rot, but the symptom alone does not prove the cause. With clean tools, cut back to firm, clean tissue and discard the affected material. Restart only healthy tissue in fresh, porous, lightly moist medium. Keep the stem unburied where appropriate and maintain airflow around it.

Philodendron ‘Burle Marx’s Fantasy’ is toxic to people and pets

• Keep this plant away from children, cats and dogs.
• Its leaves and stems contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which can irritate the mouth, throat, skin and eyes.
• Chewing may cause burning pain, drooling, swelling, vomiting or difficulty swallowing. Contact a veterinarian or medical professional after exposure, especially if swelling or breathing problems occur.

About the name Philodendron

Philodendron combines Greek philein, meaning “to love,” with dendron, meaning “tree.”

Heinrich Wilhelm Schott established the genus Philodendron in 1829 in Wiener Zeitschrift für Kunst, Literatur, Theater und Mode, volume 3, page 780.