Tree philodendron vs Heartleaf philodendron

Philodendron bipinnatifidum · Philodendron hederaceum

Mature size: Heartleaf philodendron reaches about 120 inches; Tree philodendron tops out near 96. Buying the wrong one for a shelf means rehoming it in a year.

Why these two get mixed up

Both are Philodendron, so they arrive on the same shelf under near-identical labels and are routinely swapped in the trade.

Tree philodendron (Philodendron bipinnatifidum) — **Tree philodendron** — Philodendron bipinnatifidum. Photograph by VSA.bing, Wikimedia Commons , Public domain.

Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron hederaceum) — **Heartleaf philodendron** — Philodendron hederaceum. Photograph by KENPEI, Wikimedia Commons , CC BY-SA 3.0.

	Tree philodendron	Heartleaf philodendron
Scientific name	Philodendron bipinnatifidum	Philodendron hederaceum
Family	Araceae	Araceae
Light floor	Medium	Low
Water	7–12 days	7–12 days
Humidity floor	45%	40%
Mature height	36–96 in	6–120 in
Habit	spreading	trailing
Growth rate	moderate	fast
Difficulty	Easy	Easy
Toxic to pets	Yes	Yes
Typical price	$25–90	$10–30

Highlighted cells are where the two actually differ. Everything else they share.

The differences that matter

Mature size

Heartleaf philodendron reaches about 120 inches; Tree philodendron tops out near 96. Buying the wrong one for a shelf means rehoming it in a year.

Light

Heartleaf philodendron tolerates low light; Tree philodendron needs medium as a floor. Put the second in the first's spot and it stretches and declines.

Habit

Tree philodendron grows spreading; Heartleaf philodendron grows trailing. That decides where each one physically works.

Which should you buy?

In a dim room, take Heartleaf philodendron.
If you forget to water, take either.
If it is your first plant, take Heartleaf philodendron, at 1 of 5.
For a small shelf, take Tree philodendron, which stops around 96 inches.

Full entries

Tree philodendron — care fields with sources, toxicity with every authority consulted, propagation and diagnosis. Heartleaf philodendron — the same.

Sources

This database's own care records for Philodendron bipinnatifidum and Philodendron hederaceum — every figure compared above.
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Plants of the World Online — accepted names and families for Philodendron bipinnatifidum and Philodendron hederaceum
ASPCA Animal Poison Control — toxicity classification for both, cited on each species entry
Photographs: Wikimedia Commons, individually credited and licensed above

Compiled and edited by Tony Valcarcel · 2026-09-12
Every comparison above is drawn from a recorded field. Where the honest distinguisher is visual we show both photographs rather than describing a leaf we have no field for. How this is sourced.