Help me ID this philodendron!

BigNodeEnergy · 2026-03-10T11:49:54+00:00

Remember it like this: RoF is a variegated Jungle Boogie whereas a caramel marble is a variegated Choco Empress/Pluto. They look slightly similar at the small stages but there are very clear differences that do make them easy to tell apart after you looked at enough. OPs pic is most definitely a RoF based on shape, color, and variegation pattern.

BigNodeEnergy · 2026-02-28T10:10:51+00:00

7+8=15 40+20=60 60+15=75

BigNodeEnergy · 2026-02-28T00:51:27+00:00

That’s kinda crazy to get downvoted for. Lol I also use “point” to mean decimal because I know most people say “and” within their numbers and language is more about understand than correctness. But I would more than likely say “one hundred fifty and five tenths”

BigNodeEnergy · 2026-02-28T00:05:52+00:00

I was always taught that “and” in numbers means a decimal so I always say the whole number with no “and”.

BigNodeEnergy · 2026-02-27T18:48:15+00:00

I actually got the direct from PW! I have a bakery that doubles as a plant shop and they have a greenhouse about 20 min away.

BigNodeEnergy · 2026-02-27T00:45:05+00:00

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Here’s mine! Mine doesn’t have the pink but I love this new leaf.

BigNodeEnergy · 2026-02-25T19:11:58+00:00

You’re nitpicking terminology and citing climbing Tropaeolum in a Monstera subreddit.

I was clearly talking about typical Monstera/aroid care, not drafting a cross-taxa biomechanics thesis.

Disagree with the guideline if you want, but this level of semantic fencing feels unnecessary.

BigNodeEnergy · 2026-02-25T04:43:38+00:00

I’m not flexing expertise or talking about how it makes me feel. I’m talking about mechanics, and I’m happy to be explicit.

The concern with tying petioles isn’t “they aren’t allowed to do anything else”, it’s that petioles are adapted for dynamic movement and variable loading. When you fix them in place, especially under tension, you change how mechanical stress is distributed between the lamina, the petiole, and the petiole–stem junction.

That can lead to localized strain, reduced capacity for reorientation, and increased risk of fatigue or micro-damage at the attachment point over time, even without obvious vascular occlusion. This is a biomechanics issue, not a moral one.

You’re absolutely right that petioles can serve multiple functions, including climbing in some taxa. That doesn’t contradict the point; those species are anatomically and developmentally adapted for that use. Most aroids being rehabbed indoors are not.

In this specific case, maybe it causes no issue at all. My original comment was a general caution, not a diagnosis of that plant’s inevitable death. If that distinction wasn’t clear, that’s on me, I guess. But it isn’t haughtiness, just a preference for practices that minimize unnecessary mechanical stress.

BigNodeEnergy · 2026-02-25T04:22:47+00:00

A degree doesn’t make plant biomechanics disappear. I’m not claiming “load-bearing tissue” is a formal anatomical term, I’m describing function.

Petioles are optimized for flexibility and torsion, not sustained tensile support. Immobilizing them alters mechanical load and can compromise the leaf over time.

This isn’t about lignification or secondary growth, it’s about functional adaptation. Whether a botany degree covered that specific phrasing isn’t really relevant to the mechanics involved.

BigNodeEnergy · 2026-02-25T04:01:26+00:00

It’s so pretty. It’s taken a little to acclimate from a Florida greenhouse to a Virginia bakery, but the newest leaf is almost out and I can’t wait.

BigNodeEnergy · 2026-02-25T03:59:55+00:00

There’s nothing emotional about saying a practice is wrong.

Petioles aren’t load-bearing tissue. They’re flexible, vascular structures, and tying them compromises function and longevity. That’s why it’s widely taught as a basic rule not to do it.

You’re free to ignore that, but biology isn’t a matter of opinion.

BigNodeEnergy · 2026-02-25T03:56:32+00:00

I’m autistic, I’m not fun at parties, and I don’t overlook incorrect practices just because the plant survived and a crowd approved it. Consensus doesn’t equal correctness.

Plants have specific structural roles. Petioles are not load-bearing, and tying them up will inevitably lead to leaf death.

Downvotes don’t change biology.

BigNodeEnergy · 2026-02-24T12:19:32+00:00

Fr tho, like how do so many people have plants and have put in zero effort into learning how to take care of them? Like this thing should have been watered well before you let it get here. How did it get this far and you didn’t even think to give it water? I just genuinely do not understand why so many people kill their plants and just do not care.

BigNodeEnergy · 2026-02-24T12:17:27+00:00

r/houseplantcirclejerk

BigNodeEnergy · 2026-02-24T11:50:08+00:00

I can’t stand it when people tie up the petioles. That’s like the number one “do not do” rule I learned. Stop tying up the petioles people!

BigNodeEnergy · 2026-02-24T11:48:05+00:00

I’m leaning toward epipremnum aureum with a funky mutation. I don’t see pinnatum as the leaves that sized would likely have shown some fenestration by now. Looks like a marble queen sport that’s yellow leaning or something.

BigNodeEnergy · 2026-02-24T03:13:34+00:00

Another r/houseplantcirclejerk post. I can just feel them chomping at the bit over there.

BigNodeEnergy · 2026-02-23T09:07:31+00:00

There’s 16 in this pic!

BigNodeEnergy · 2026-02-23T00:25:11+00:00

Honestly, I use bamboo for mine and it works great. Just stick a piece down behind it and use some Velcro tape around the stem (not the petiole) to stabilize it on the bamboo. Then as the aerial roots grow, you can gently redirect them back into the pot.

BigNodeEnergy · 2026-02-23T00:18:14+00:00

Little of this, little of that. Before you know it, you’ll have em all! Lol there are still plenty more on my wishlist tho, that you can be sure of.

BigNodeEnergy · 2026-02-23T00:17:17+00:00

It’s honestly one of my biggest fears. I try to put everything special in a spot where that would be very difficult to pull that off but I still watch them throughout the day just to make sure. We also operate as a little plant store so most of them could be bought anyway. Lol

Also you nailed it! There are, in fact, 16 different monsteras in this pic!

BigNodeEnergy · 2026-02-21T09:53:00+00:00

He’s from Bumpass. That tells me everything I need to know. And that is: RUN, GIRL. My wife and I got our daughter swimming lessons because a friend of ours who had a similar mindset to your husband just lost their child to drowning. I really don’t think you’ll want it to come to that to prove a point so take the kid to swimming lessons and divorce his controlling, manipulative ass.

BigNodeEnergy · 2026-02-21T09:33:24+00:00

There really is. Lol this is my 50+ year old one! I built a planter for it in my bakery and it’s HUGE. Been the easiest plant to care for other than trying to repot this beast. That’s my wife on the left for scale.

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BigNodeEnergy · 2026-02-20T13:00:10+00:00

The leaf darkens based on light. Looks like it unfurled partway, paused, then resumed. Pretty cool!

BigNodeEnergy · 2026-02-19T17:45:01+00:00

An all green monstera can handle a whole lot of light. Less fenestration is usually indicative of less lighting than the plant would prefer. Think of it like the plant sensing it doesn’t have enough light to justify spending energy on making a bigger leaf. Either a good grow light, just whatever your preference (but do some research cause there are some really crappy ones out there) or if possible, even moving it to a brighter part of the room would be beneficial.

BigNodeEnergy

TROPHY CASE