Just like Sir Mix-a-Lot's 1992 song 'Baby got back', ok maybe not just like that, but something similar. Our song would go a little something like this..."Oh, my, gawd Becky, look at their plant...it's sooooo big! They must be one of those plant people's friends"....."I like big plants and I cannot lie"...hee hee. Please meet this gorgeous new comer to the aroid world...Thaumatophyllum 'Bobaloo'. Super freaking fantastic aroid fo'sho!!!
This is a cross of thaumatophyllum (aka philodendron) speciosum and thaumatophyllum stenolobum. It has the upright growth habit like the stenolobum but a more compact tighter structure where the leaves stay closer together like the speciosum. Though the shape of the leaves tend to favor speciosum they are really all their own uniqueness with it's very large heart shape and a bit of sassy ruffle. Not too serious and not too frivolous, but what a looker! If you like, no I say, if you love large form plants then our thaumatophyllum 'Bobaloo' is for you. Aaaand I can honestly say you would be one of only a handful of people who own one because we are one of only a couple growers with these and did I mention how huge these are! :)
We grow all of our plants outdoors so they are exposed to natures elements. Ours get about a couple of hours of dappled full sun throughout the day. On observation the brighter light the leaves seem to be more of an emerald green, the deeper the shape the deeper green they are but heck who knows the desire of an aroid. Though ours are growing in outdoor conditions with natural sun light, wind, rain, etc. so if you are going to be growing them indoors or a grow house you might need to have a support system for them to grow on.
One thing we do see is they don't like to be moved around alot if you are trying to find the right spot for them. Our best advice is to put them where you think they will do best and leave them to acclimate for as long as you can. If you need to move them, try to make small adjustments rather than a drastic move or a big change.
Like all aroids, 'Bobaloo' grows in warm high humidity, moist soil and bright light. We currently have them growing ourdoors in part sun/part shade as understory plants under palms & tree canopy.
Though be aware for all you pet owners and parents to check whether any plant has poisonous elements to it before introducing it as a house plant. The philodendron family is considered poisonous if parts of the actual plant are ingested. Here is a link for your concerns on the symptoms and treatment for philodendrons because we are animal lovers and parents as well.
Our thaumatophyllum 'Bobaloo' are sold in a 7-gallon container and as you can see in the pictures, they are huge! They are about 3-4 feet high by 4-5 feet wide. Because it is a living plant we expedite shipping to make sure the plant arrives healthy and alive. Please read the section about our plants on our FAQs page for more information.