Species · genus Thaumatophyllum · Araceae

Xanadu

Thaumatophyllum xanadu (Croat, J.Boos & Mayo) Sakur., Calazans & Mayo

Also known as: Philodendron Xanadu · Winterbourn · Dwarf Philodendron

Growth habit

subshrub

Native range

Brazil South, Paraguay

Reference · T. xanadu

Cultivars of T. xanadu

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under T. xanadu yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

A clumping subshrub aroid from the warm forests of southern Brazil and Paraguay, with deeply lobed leaves held on a low, spreading habit. As an understory plant it wants warmth and bright indirect light, never harsh direct sun. Let the top inch or two of mix dry before watering, and ensure free drainage, as the fleshy roots rot if left sitting wet.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-12d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 12 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

16–29 °C

Soil mix

Chunky, well-draining aroid mix with bark and perlite

Propagation

Division of the clumping crown

Fertilizing

Balanced liquid feed monthly in the growing season

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Rarely flowers indoors

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Toxic to cats & dogs & humans

Araceae contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which irritate the mouth and digestive tract if chewed. This is where toxicity lives: every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 7-12d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (family inference)

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Xanadu yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.