Philodendron tenue

Philodendron ecuadorense, Engl. 1899
Philodendron gracile, Schott 1860
Philodendron sodiroanum, Engl. 1899

tenue = delicate, tender, soft

hemiepiphytic, from sea level to 2000m, very widespread in northern South America, along both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. In Central America, Philodendron tenue occurs in premontane moist forests, rarely in tropical moist forests. In South America, this species is ecologically quite diverse, where it occurs in tropical thorn forest, premontane thorn forest, tropical dry forest, tropical wet forest, and premontane wet forest habitats.

Philodendron tenue belongs to the light-hungry philodendron, the plant strongly adapts to its environmental conditions. In a light culture the internodes and petioles are short and the leaves are slightly leathery compact, in a dark culture the petioles can grow up to 1m long, the leaves become much larger and are softer. This strong adaptation explains the wide distribution range and makes Philodendron tenue an optimal beginner plant or easy to cultivate species in any collection.