We are living on a diverse planet. Copious varieties of life including plants and animals are found in different regions and layers of the Earth. Each of them has its unique features and specific importance. Syngonium erythrophyllum is one such plant adding to the diversity of plant life.
It is a delicate house-plant grown for its beautiful evergreen foliage and belongs to the family Araceae. The metallic coppery-green leaves with distinct reddish undersides surely look admirable. The arrow-shaped leaves have waxy surfaces and two ear-like lobes. The plant forms a vine if you allow growing it in length. It may reach up to a height of 6 to 10 feet and makes beautiful hanging baskets.
Let’s share some basic information about the epiphytic perennial S.erythrophyllum plant along with the genus Syngonium.
Syngonium Erythrophyllum Classification
Scientific classification of the plant is as under:
Order: Alismatales.
Family: Araceae.
Subfamily: Aroid.
Genus: Syngonium.
Species: S. erythrophyllum.
Genus Syngonium
Syngonium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae. The name is derived from the Greek language by the words ‘syn’ and ‘gone’ referring to the fused ovaries of female flowers. These are native to tropical rain forests of the West Indies, Southern Mexico, and South America.
The plant structure is 10 to 20-meter tall woody vines with foliage attaining different shapes in its juvenile and adult form. Their juvenile forms are common house plants. Syngonium podophyllum is another popular plant of the genus with a sympodial growth pattern. It is popularly known as the Syngonium plant.
The genus is informally divided into different subgroups based on the structure and shape of the leaf blades. Highlights about these informal sub-groups are as under;
- Cordatum: The juvenile leaves are whole with an oval or elliptical shape. On the other hand, the mature form is ovate, ovoid-elliptical, or sometimes narrow and arrow-shaped.
- Oblongatum: the leaves are the same in both juvenile and mature forms. The shape is longitudinal-elliptical or avoid-elliptical.
- Pinnatilobum: The juvenile leaves are oval while they get split and form narrow lobes on maturity.
- Syngonium: The young leaves are whole and oval in shape. While the mature ones are bisectors and fan-shaped with up to 11 secants. The shape and extent of necrosis vary with their age and level on the stem.
Syngonium Erythrophyllum Features
Some important features of the plant are as under:
- The plant is a vine and is a good choice for hanging baskets. In pots, it loves to grow around support or a totem.
- The flowers are showy, poisonous, and unusual. These are white and green in color. The blooming season is spring and summer. Additionally, you will rarely see a plant while cultivating the erythrophyllum.
- Syngonium erythrophyllum ‘Liano Carti Rd’:
This is a beautiful plant collected from the roadside of Panama. It has a dramatic appearance with dark purple leaves and maroon undersides. This plant is not well-described. Due to the similarities in appearance and requirements, the title of Syngonium erythrophyllum was added to its name.
How to Care For Syngonium Erythrophyllum
In this section, you will get the answer about ‘how to take care of the Syngonium erythrophyllum plant?’ We are sharing the basic requirements of the plant.
Water Requirement:
The water requirement of the plant is normal to high. You can water once or twice a week in summer. However, biweekly or once a week watering is enough for the plant in winter. Make sure that the upper 3 layers of the plant are dry before you water it again. Always avoid overwatering, as it is a gateway to many plant issues like fungus, discolouration, drooping, and rot.
Sunlight Requirement:
It is adaptable to a variety of sunlight conditions from partial shade to dappled and bright indirect light. It can also bear shade for a few days. However, avoid putting the plant in direct sunlight for long hours, as this may burn the plant.
Temperature Requirement:
The optimum temperature range for the plant is 45 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
Humidity Requirement:
It is resistant to a variety of humidity levels. Being native to the rainforests, it will grow bright and healthy foliage in humid environments.
On highly dry days, you can mist the plant slightly. However, it is better to mist in the morning or early afternoon. In addition, keeping the leaves wet for long is not advisable as it will lead to fungus and leaf rot.
Soil Requirement:
The soil should be well-drained. Always make sure that there are drainage holes at the base of the pot.
Sandy loam to clay loam and domestic aroid mix are good growing mediums for the S.erythrophyllum plant. Furthermore, soil PH 5.5 to 6.5 is suitable for it.
Fertilizer Requirement:
Get a suitable domestic plant fertilizer and use it in mild quantities. You can use dilute water-soluble fertilizer every month in spring and summer. If you are using a slow-release fertilizer, it is better to use it once in 6 months or according to the directions on the label.
Additionally, the Syngonium will do fine without any fertilizer in the winter season. We recommend stopping feeding it by the end of October until the end of February.
Growth Zone:
USDA growth Zone 11 is ideal for the Syngonium.
Toxicity of Syngonium Erythrophyllum Plant
This is a toxic plant that disturbs the stomach on ingestion. Additionally, its toxic sap causes skin irritation. Thus, to avoid any incidents, it is better to keep kids and pets away from the plant.
Syngonium Erythrophyllum Propagation
This is easy to propagate the plant. A popular method of propagation is by using stem or tip cuttings.
Select a healthy parent plant and use a sharp knife to cut 4 to 6 inches of stem. You need to cut the new growing shoot. Now remove a few leaves from the lower region and plant them in the pre-prepared moist substrate. Keep at least three nodes in the substrate to enhance the growth process.
Water Propagation:
Can I propagate the Syngonium erythrophyllum in the water? The answer to this question is, ‘yes’. You can just take a jar filled with water and place the cuttings in water. Make sure you keep the nodes underwater and the leaves outside the water. However, it is important to change the water regularly, at least thrice a week to avoid bacterial and fungal contamination.
Timeline
We are sharing an estimated timeline of the growth pattern of this delicate plant. However, the growing frequency of plants depends upon many factors including the soil type, weather, light, and humidity. Thus, make sure you keep the plant under observation and adjust the requirements accordingly.
- Day 1: Planting a stem cutting the growing medium. You can use soil, packed substrate, or even water. Keep the pot in moderately warm temperature and bright indirect sunlight.
- Day 3 – Day 20: In water, the cutting does not need any further care at this step except changing the water regularly. In case of soil propagation, keep the soil or the substrate moist by mild misting. Avoid over misting or keeping the soil wet for long, as this will welcome fungal and rot.
- Day 20 – Day 50: You can expect root formation by the 3rd week. Keep a look at the baby plants and mist the soil according to the requirement.
- Day 50: At this stage, you can transfer the water propagated cuttings to soil or substrate. You can now transfer the tiny plantlets in the containers or the garden soil.
- Day 50 – Day 90: Roots and shoots will be developed until now. At this stage, water the plant in low quantity, twice or thrice a week.
- Day 90 – Day 170: The plant is growing and with enhanced height and strength. The watering frequency of the soil plant is the same as the previous stage, i.e. twice or thrice a week or according to the soil conditions.
- Day 170 – Day 190: At this stage, the plant doesn’t need much attention. Just provide the basic requirements of light, temperature, and water. You can add a mild quantity of suitable fertilizer once a month at this stage. High amounts of fertilizer may destroy young plants. Your new Syngonium erythrophyllum plants are ready. We always recommend having a monthly observation of all the plants to keep an eye on the growth and health condition of the plant.
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Summary
Syngonium erythrophyllum is a small and delicate house plant grown for its foliage. Its beautiful glossy leaves are dark to coppery-green in color with reddish undersides. This is low maintenance and easy to propagate the plant. If you allow it to grow long it will become a dandy vine. This plant is beautiful enough to make a hanging basket or decorate any pot for the table or window of your house.
