Very unusual Philodendron. Did you just buy it? It's suprising that the lower leaves are a different shape and color. Wish I could help identify but....sorry....just wanted to say beautiful plant! What kind of lights are you using?

Hi prairiemoon2 z6b MA. Thank you for your response. Yes, I bought the plant yesterday... with a generic Philodendron name on the pot. As far as lighting, it's in a east facing window with a 1000w LED Gro light. I posted a pic I found on the web of a Choco Empress. What do you think?

It looks very similar to yours, but I wonder if all your lower leaves are new leaves and I'd think they will change when they mature into the shape of the larg leaf. I think your mature leaf is even prettier than the Choco Empress.

Since it was labeled a generic Philodendron, perhaps it is something that has Choco Empress in it's parentage? I think you are going to be very happy with your new plant. It's a beauty!

I'm in the market for new lighting. I'm wondering if you are happy with yours and how you set it up so the plant is in position to get the light from an East window and still have the supplemental light from a Grow Light?

Okay, I’ll give you my lighting tour. My dining and living rooms face east. I have a 15,000w LED hanging from the ceiling. This light is blinding, I tell people not to look at it but they do it anyways with instant regret. On the other side I have two 3-way sockets for a total of 900w. Living room. I can’t remember the wattage of the corn light, but the other is a 1000w LED Gro light. The other two rooms face west which gets the best sun.

The cost of electricity has gone sky high in California so I’m more conservative than I used to be. I try to make sure the plants are getting good lighting for 6 hours of a day, a mix of natural and supplemental.

SRamsey - Thanks so much for the Tour!!

Wow, you really have quite a collection of plants! And they look like they are getting plenty of light. That Fiddle Leaf Fig you have, is that pot on the ground? It would have to be pretty tall if so…lol. They look like they are very happy. That must keep you pretty busy all winter.

Yes, the cost of electricity is a concern. Everything now is so expensive and you wonder if it is going to just keep getting higher and higher.

I just bought a standing tripod with Sansi full spectrum bulbs. First time I’ve tried that. It is way too bright and it does caution you not to stare at the light. It’s made me a little paranoid about looking at them at all. And the whole point of houseplants is to look at them. LoL.

I see there is another brand of light that has a shade on it so the light is just pointing down and it’s not bright if you look at it. I’m going to return this one and try that.

Thank you again…LOVE your plant collection, you have a number of very healthy specimens!

The Fiddle Leaf Fig is potted. I always start at the garden center when I go shopping at Walmart. Summer of '23 I found that plant on clearance for $10.00. It was about 2-3 feet tall, it had some issues, white spots on leaves. I removed all the soil from the roots to give it a fresh start. It took a while but finally started to grow. It loves a west facing window.

I posted a pic of 2 of the Gro lights I have, you can find them on Amazon. If you keep looking you can find a good budget light at a good price on Amazon, just read the reviews.