Horsehead philodendron
Philodendron bipennifolium
Also called Fiddleleaf philodendron, Panda plant (philodendron) and Bipennifolium
Houseplant · AroidsTHE ADULT LEAF LOOKS NOTHING LIKE THE ONE YOU BOUGHT — young leaves are plain arrows and mature ones grow three pairs of lobes like a horse's head. It takes a pole and about three years, and nothing else brings the change on.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Easy
- Water
- Once a weekDrench and drain — water the whole surface until it runs from the holes.
- Light
- Medium to bright indirect
- Feed
- Every 30 days
- Humidity
- Average to high
- Hardiness
- Indoors, or out for the summer RHS H1C, to 5°C
- Size
- 2 m tall · 0.8 m across
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Origin
- South-eastern Brazil
Is it safe for pets and people?
Affects dogs, cats, horses. Signs: an intensely burning mouth and tongue, drooling, vomiting and trouble swallowing, caused by calcium oxalate crystals.
ASPCA carries "Philodendron spp" as toxic to dogs, cats and horses, and the RHS harmful A–Z carries "Philodendron" at category C — harmful if eaten, and a skin and eye irritant. Both name the genus outright. ASPCA also lists this exact binomial twice, as "Horsehead Philodendron" and "Fiddle-Leaf", naming dogs and cats.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-09-22.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- Simple unlobed leaves after two or three years. The horse's head only comes on a climbing plant with height — give it a tall pole and wait.Still making plain arrows · disorder
- Thick roots coming out at each node, snipped for tidiness. They are what feed the adult leaves; guide them into the pole instead.Aerial roots cut off · disorder