A neighbor moved and unloaded this on me. I'm not a houseplant person. What exactly is it?

if you cut a stem or leaf off .....does it drip red sap...and stain the floor ?

If so, it might be a Red Emerald Philodendron (Philodendron erubescens)

Thanks for answering, James. The sap is clear.

Btw, it had obviously been in low light. Those larger leaves above have emerged since I've had it in bright light. The older leaves look like this.

I parked this pot on a cabinet when I got it and really haven't done anything but water it. Since. Now that I examine it more closely, I think I've got more than one species in this pot. Will photo them separately tomorrow when it's light.

could be more than one species ....good eye

am comfortable "calling it" one of the Philodendrons, no idea which one.... should perk up a lot with indirect light ...once a week saturation watering and maybe a repot next year ....


Albuquerque Native

I figured it was a philodendron, but whenever I read the houseplant threads it seems like names are frequently changed, plus there do seem to be many that look similar. I've been googling but can't tell.

Does that last part refer to you?

It looks like a Philodendron Red Emerald that is in drastic need of fresh soil

Thanks Gina, that's what James suggested above. What about the red sap he mentioned?

Yes, it's a mess. There are actually four scrawny plants in one deep 12" pot with no drainage holes, so I've been careful with the water until I can get them repotted.

I've got what appear to be three different shaped leaves and one woody stem. All just different variations/stages of the red emerald?

Definitely a variety of Philodendrons (Philodendron) So many look similar and I'm mot sure which it might be but I doubt there's more than one type in the pot. Philodendron leaves can be quite variable, changing as they mature. Juvenile leaves can look totally different than mature leaves. The soil your plant is in does not appear conducive to a happy, healthy plant. Repotting into an airier medium and placing the pot in a location of bright, indirect light (no direct sun) will likely show improvement.

Here are a couple of Philodendrons for comparison:

Thanks Lin, that's what I was wondering about the leaves being different shapes. Yes, I'm aware of soil, pot, etc. Wanted an ID before correcting things and putting up for adoption. I have neither the environment nor inclination to maintain tropical houseplants. The same neighbor also gave me an alocasia of sorts, also in a massive pot with no drainage. Not sure that one's going to survive.

Really, it takes some effort to maintain these plants in this climate. Certainly possible with the right setup or greenhouse, but I know this neighbor had neither. Nor do I.

The Alocasia may be able to be saved if the rhizomes haven't totally rotted. If you can't find someone locally who wants them, you could list them on the Plant and Seed Trading Forum; perhaps another member would have the type of plants that you'd be interested in for trade.

Hadn't thought of that, Lin. Perhaps today I'll manage to dig around in there and see what's going on. Seems like other gardening tasks keep bumping dealing with these two plants down on the priority list.

I don;t know about the red sap. I have Red emerald, but it grows in the ground in the greenhouse. I haven;t ever cut it

Thank you everyone for your help.