Philodendron 'Silver Queen' ISN'T a Philodendron!

Discussion in 'Araceae' started by photopro, Jul 25, 2007.

  1. photopro

    photopro Well-Known Member

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    Siloam Springs, AR, USA
    I was just checking to see what was new on eBay under the general heading "Philodendron". I happened upon an offering that simply delighted me! An astute seller was selling a plant commonly sold incorrectly as Philodendron Silver Queen under the correct botanical name, Monstera pinnatipartita! And did that ever please me.

    This plant is quite commonly sold as Philodendron Silver Queen and you can find it available on numerous websites. I have no idea where someone came up with that name. I don't like common names for plants since they really tell you nothing about the plant other than what someone thought was a cute name. It further makes understanding the heritage, growth forms, growing habits, light and moisture preferences of any species nearly impossible since you don't also have a botanical name to verify that information. So it truly pleased me when I found this seller had taken the time to learn the plant they were selling was truly a juvenile form of the genus Monstera. The seller did include the common name, which is fine, but this one is simply not a Philodendron species!

    Dr. Tom Croat of the Missouri Botanical Garden, who often helps me track correct identifications, was kind enough to help me track this one down as the juvenile form of Monstera pinnatipartia. But many people think it "looks like" a Philodendron, so they just assume it is one, not realizing Monstera species often morph as they grow and do not gain the holes in their leaves until they reach near or full adulthood.

    So my personal applause to that seller! I just wish more eBay sellers would take the time to learn what they are truly selling. I found a total of three sellers just yesterday offering plants under totally wrong names. And it happens all the time! Once a buyer buys one with the wrong tag it often takes years to discover the error! I often receive email from growers telling me I have the "wrong" name on some plant they grow because they learned it incorrectly in the first place. Almost every plant in my collection has been verified by a botanist. That is one of the habits I have in adding new species to the collection.

    If you happen to grow this plant or would be interested in how we came to learn the correct name, here is what we've learned so far:

    http://www.exoticrainforest.com/Monstera pinnatipartita pc.html
     

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    Last edited: Jul 25, 2007

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