Philodendron Pink Princess
Philodendron erubescens 'Pink Princess'
It's a chimeric mutation, not a hybrid. The variegation varies from plant to plant and leaf to leaf, which is the whole point. No two are alike, and you can't predict what the next leaf will look like.
Buy this plant $75 In Stock- Light
- Bright Indirect
- Humidity
- 50-60%
- Temperature
- 65-80°F
Light Requirements
Bright Indirect. Place within 3-5 feet of a south or east-facing window, out of direct sun. Direct afternoon sun will scorch leaves.
Watering
Water thoroughly when the top 2 inches of soil are dry. In spring and summer that's roughly once a week. Fall and winter, stretch it to every 10-14 days. When in doubt, wait another day. This one handles being slightly dry much better than being slightly wet.
Humidity
Target humidity: 50-60%. Average home humidity of 40-50% is usually sufficient. Avoid placing near heating vents, which dry the air significantly.
Temperature
Keep between 65-80°F. Avoid cold drafts from windows in winter and hot air from vents year-round. Most tropical houseplants suffer below 55°F and should never be exposed to frost.
Soil and Potting
Equal parts standard potting soil, perlite, and orchid bark. This aroid-style mix drains fast enough to protect the roots while holding some moisture. Don't skip the perlite. Dense mixes are where pink princesses go to die.
Propagation
Take a stem cutting with at least one node and 2-3 leaves. Here's the part people miss: include some pink in the cutting itself if you want to propagate that variegation. Root in water or moist sphagnum moss under bright indirect light. Roots develop in 2-4 weeks. Sphagnum gives you less transplant shock than water rooting, for what it's worth.
Common Problems
New leaves coming in solid green? The plant needs more light. Prune back to the last variegated node to get pink growth again. On the other end, fully pink leaves can't photosynthesize at all and will brown out. Remove them before they start pulling energy from the rest of the plant.
Worth Knowing
- The Pink Princess is a chimera, meaning it contains two genetically distinct cell populations in the same plant. The pink sections have anthocyanin pigment but no chlorophyll, the result of a mutation in the apical meristem. It's not dye, it's not a trend, it's a cellular anomaly.
- Where this plant actually came from is still a mystery. A Florida grower claimed to have created it from seven parent plants in the 1970s, but a botanist later found that some of those crosses were genetically impossible. The most likely explanation is a spontaneous mutation that someone got very lucky finding.
- It was never patented. For a cultivar this distinctive, that's really unusual. There's also no record of it appearing in the detailed breeding logs of R.H. McColley, who dominated philodendron cultivation in that era. It basically showed up from nowhere.
Toxicity
Toxic to cats and dogs. Contains calcium oxalate crystals causing oral irritation, excessive drooling, and GI upset if ingested.