Philodendron ‘Burgundy Princess’

Origin of Philodendron ‘Burgundy Princess’

‘Burgundy Princess’ is a trade designation for burgundy-dominant Pink Princess material that carries little pink or has reverted toward darker growth. Its exact selection history and formal genealogy are still uncertain.

Care for Philodendron ‘Burgundy Princess’

• Support lengthening stems: Add a textured support as the stem begins to extend, fasten it loosely, and give the aerial roots access to the surface.
• Provide bright, filtered light: Introduce brighter exposure gradually to support healthy, compact growth.
• Temperature and airflow: Keep the plant between about 18 and 29 °C during normal growth, with protection from sustained temperatures below 15 °C. Allow gentle airflow around the stem, leaf sheaths and crown, and keep the plant warm, particularly while the roots are moist.
• Humidity: Use a humidity range around 50–60% for routine growth.
• Water a free-draining mix: Use an airy mix that holds moderate moisture and drains freely. Water after part of the root ball has dried, let the pot drain, and remove any standing water.
• Feeding: Apply fertiliser during active growth at a modest dose.
• Root space: Repot when roots are crowded, the mix is degraded or drains slowly, or the plant and its support have lost stability. Upsize only for a crowded root ball; otherwise replace the mix or improve stability in the existing pot.
• Choose sound propagation material: Propagate from a firm, healthy stem section with a node and a healthy bud.

Colour variation and genuine decline in Philodendron ‘Burgundy Princess’

• Several leaves show little or no pink: Make no health intervention for low pink alone. Observe several nodes and keep the plant in good filtered light; healthy growth does not require pink, and light cannot create it.
• One shoot becomes noticeably greener: Keep it for vigour or prune it for appearance according to your preference. A green shoot without damage or spread is not a disease sign, and pruning cannot promise a return of pink.
• The stem or crown becomes soft, wet, or odorous: Isolate the plant, keep above-pot tissue dry, and inspect the stem and roots with clean tools. Remove only confirmed soft dead tissue, correct the wet conditions, and propagate only firm symptom-free nodes.
• Cottony clusters collect at nodes or beneath sheaths: Confirm segmented mealybugs beneath the white wax, then isolate the plant. Rinse or lift off visible insects with tweezers and recheck nodes, undersides, the pot, and the support. A small infestation may be dabbed with 70% or weaker isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab after a 1–2 day patch test, observing fire and leaf-burn precautions. If mealybugs persist, use only an indoor-labelled horticultural oil or insecticidal soap for this plant and mealybugs, applied and repeated exactly as directed.

Philodendron ‘Burgundy Princess’ is toxic to people and pets

• Keep this plant away from children, cats and dogs.
• Its leaves and stems contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which can irritate the mouth, throat, skin and eyes.
• Chewing may cause burning pain, drooling, swelling, vomiting or difficulty swallowing. Contact a veterinarian or medical professional after exposure, especially if swelling or breathing problems occur.

Philodendron: name and meaning

Philodendron combines Greek philein, meaning “to love,” with dendron, meaning “tree.”

Heinrich Wilhelm Schott established the genus Philodendron in 1829 in Wiener Zeitschrift für Kunst, Literatur, Theater und Mode, volume 3, page 780.