Thaumatophyllum xanadu (Croat, J.Boos & Mayo) Sakur., Calazans & Mayo is a very eye-catching plant because of its dense, mounding, spreading habit. Its leaves are large, glossy, green, deeply dissected and lobed, and are born on long petioles. Easy to cultivate
The genus Thaumatophyllum was erected by Heinrich Wilhelm Schott in 1859, with the sole species Thaumatophyllum spruceanum. In 1962, G.M. Barroso transferred T. spruceanum to Philodendron. (However, the transfer was not made correctly and Barroso's name Philodendron spruceanum is illegitimate.) While in Philodendron, T. spruceanum was placed, along with other species, in subgenus Meconostigma. A series of molecular phylogenetic studies, particularly form 2008 onwards, suggested that, when broadly circumscribed, Philodendron was not monophyletic. In 2018, it was proposed that subgenus Meconostigma should be raised to the rank of genus, under the name Thaumatophyllum. The proposal has been accepted by Plants of the World Online, among other taxonomic databases.
Genus name comes form Ancient Greek “θαυματ-” (“thaumato-”, wonder, miracle) + “φύλλον” (“phyllum”, leaf); wonderful leaf, referring to the beautiful and peculiar leaves of the type species.
Thaumatophyllum xanadu
Thaumatophyllum xanadu comes in following sizes:
XL- is ca. 70 cm tall, and comes in a ⌀27 cm pot
