Philodendron selloum

[Looking Glass]

Looking to fill out a spot below some palms, I put a couple of these in at a pretty small size.  Wondering about growth rate on these on eventual size.  A neighbor has one that is huge, like a small tree, but the leaves on that one are a bit different… less lobed.  I figure I shouldn’t water these too much.  Anyone have any thoughts or pointers?   

Philodendron bipinnatifidum…..

Also, my wife wanted more bees around, so I threw in a little shrimp plant.   Bees seem to love these.  There was a massive one at the house when we moved in 5-6 feet tall.   Removed it then…. Back in it goes.   

Shrimp Plant (Justice bandegeana)….

[Silas_Sancona]

23 minutes ago, Looking Glass said:

Looking to fill out a spot below some palms, I put a couple of these in at a pretty small size.  Wondering about growth rate on these on eventual size.  A neighbor has one that is huge, like a small tree, but the leaves on that one are a bit different… less lobed.  I figure I shouldn’t water these too much.  Anyone have any thoughts or pointers?   

Philodendron bipinnatifidum…..

Also, my wife wanted more bees around, so I threw in a little shrimp plant.   Bees seem to love these.  There was a massive one at the house when we moved in 5-6 feet tall.   Removed it then…. Back in it goes.   

Shrimp Plant (Justice bandegeana)….

Regular ol' selloum will get massive over time, no matter what you try to do to keep it smaller..  "Xanadu" is the one you want if you want the look ..but something that will stay a lot smaller / fuller.

As for the Shrimp Plant, Good choice,  but ..i might have your wife look at some of the other Justicia sp that can grow there that might be showier, ..if regular Shrimps seem kind of ordinary..  Cardinal's Guard, Pachystachys spicata  ..and any of the hardier sp. in Aphelandra ...unless you're warm enough to try the more tender -and quite stunning- species would be some other personal " look-into- worthy"  options for bold color / the bees / butterflies.

Brazilian Red Cloak, Megaskepasma erythrochlamys is nice, but gets BIG there ( Gets big in CA. too ). Good background plant, if you have space, but don't have any growing already.

[Looking Glass]

28 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Regular ol' selloum will get massive over time, no matter what you try to do to keep it smaller..  "Xanadu" is the one you want if you want the look ..but something that will stay a lot smaller / fuller.

As for the Shrimp Plant, Good choice,  but ..i might have your wife look at some of the other Justicia sp that can grow there that might be showier, ..if regular Shrimps seem kind of ordinary..  Cardinal's Guard, Pachystachys spicata  ..and any of the hardier sp. in Aphelandra ...unless you're warm enough to try the more tender -and quite stunning- species would be some other personal " look-into- worthy"  options for bold color / the bees / butterflies.

Brazilian Red Cloak, Megaskepasma erythrochlamys is nice, but gets BIG there ( Gets big in CA. too ). Good background plant, if you have space, but don't have any growing already.

I have little Xanadus tuck into places with a lot of shade.  I actually was hoping for someone big, to fill out a corner.   We just happened to be walking through a nursery with a lot of Shrimps loaded with bees.   The gold ones were there too, but the bees seem obsessed with the pinks…. Must make some good juice or something.  She loves the bees and butterflies.  

There was also some philodendron “hope” out…. But I opted for what I thought would be the biggest option.   

Thanks for the leads….  I’ll look into your suggestions.   I’m no flower specialist, that’s for sure.   Iguanas here have a taste for many flowers and can destroy whole large plants in a few hours sometimes.   It’s trial and error sometimes.  

[Silas_Sancona]

14 minutes ago, Looking Glass said:

I have little Xanadus tuck into places with a lot of shade.  I actually was hoping for someone big, to fill out a corner.   We just happened to be walking through a nursery with a lot of Shrimps loaded with bees.   The gold ones were there too, but the bees seem obsessed with the pinks…. Must make some good juice or something.  She loves the bees and butterflies.  

There was also some philodendron “hope” out…. But I opted for what I thought would be the biggest option.   

Thanks for the leads….  I’ll look into your suggestions.   I’m no flower specialist, that’s for sure.   Iguanas here have a taste for many flowers and can destroy whole large plants in a few hours sometimes.   It’s trial and error sometimes.  

 Ah, i see.. It will definitely fill the space pretty quickly.  I've heard Hope is supposed to stay smaller, but i have my doubts if it isn't much different than the standard form.

That's a good point, darn things will eat almost anything. Know they love Hibiscus for sure. I'd probably got crazy trying to keep them out of a yard there, if that is even possible,  lol.

[Looking Glass]

19 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

 Ah, i see.. It will definitely fill the space pretty quickly.  I've heard Hope is supposed to stay smaller, but i have my doubts if it isn't much different than the standard form.

That's a good point, darn things will eat almost anything. Know they love Hibiscus for sure. I'd probably got crazy trying to keep them out of a yard there, if that is even possible,  lol.

I just plant something.  If they eat it to the ground in a week, I don’t plant it again.  They eat a lot of stuff….  Love colors.  Some they just sample, but hibiscus is like “iguana crack” to them.  I had a friend buy a hibiscus plant in a pot.  Left it on the porch to show her husband.  A couple hours later it was torn to shreds…. Lol.   

Edited March 6, 2023 by Looking Glass

[Silas_Sancona]

25 minutes ago, Looking Glass said:

I just plant something.  If they eat it to the ground in a week, I don’t plant it again.  They eat a lot of stuff….  Love colors.  Some they just sample, but hibiscus is like “iguana crack” to them.  I had a friend buy a hibiscus plant in a pot.  Left it on the porch to show her husband.  A couple hours later it was torn to shreds…. Lol.   

Someone i know had a ( cranky, lol ) Green Iguana for several years before she re-homed it and it loved Hibiscus whenever she'd offer it. I can't imagine trying to grow them with Iguanas all over the place.

We ..well, the Desert Museum in Tucson, has had an " escaped " population of Sonoran X San Esteban Island Spiny Tailed Iguana living there for years. Apparently, they have been expanding their range further out from the Museum grounds into Tucson / some other areas nearby over the last couple decades..  Likely an escaped pet but there was a iNat sighting of a Green in town down there not too long ago. Several sightings out in California as well.

What i didn't realize is Green Iguana actually range as far north as Hermosillo, just to the south of here in Mexico, and are established in some areas in Baja Sur. If they can survive the heat / lack of more "ideal" conditions on this side of the world, possible they end up in places like Yuma or El Centro near the Salton Sea in California in time. 

 

[PalmsandLiszt]

I believe Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum is the correct name.

I have one indoors and it grows like billy-oh; no doubt it would be even faster outside in 10b. I somewhat regret buying it (as a tiny seedling) as it takes up so much space. They also send out adventitious roots that go all over the place. But if you want it big, the natural variety is the one to get, not the cultivars like hope, which sensible people (not me!) grow as houseplants,
My experience of it is that it seems pretty indestructible and likes plenty of water,

[mnorell]

12 hours ago, Looking Glass said:

...A neighbor has one that is huge, like a small tree, but the leaves on that one are a bit different… less lobed...
 

Your neighbor's more tree-like P. selloum/bipinnatifidum with less lobed leaves is very possibly P. x 'Evansii,' a hybrid between selloum and speciosum made by Evans & Reeves Nursery in Los Angeles in the early 1950s. There was a time, in the 1960s and 1970s, when it seemed half the houses in Southern California had one of these in their front yards. Much easier to acquire in California, where they are still propagated by a grower or two, than in Florida. Unless you want to empty your wallet. You might also look at the selloum cultivar 'Revolution,' which has a very full, rather ruffled leaf held in a perhaps slightly more compact mound, though I'm sure it will eventually want to stand up or climb as do most selloum progeny. This is in tissue culture and can be found occasionally on Etsy and eBay for reasonable prices. To me a very, very nice newer cultivar. 'Hope' turns up a lot because it was selected for extra cold-hardiness, but otherwise not particularly distinctive from what I've been able to tell, at least. If you're in Lauderdale obviously the cold-hardiness wouldn't be an issue.

For bee-plants, I can add Thevetia peruviana to the list, they love those flowers. Also Cocos nucifera, which attracts bees like crazy though this fact rarely gets mentioned. The most bee-attractive plant I've ever grown is Antigonon leptopus, the Coral Vine/Coralita, but that is probably best left out of your picture. Beautiful but it will naturalize and literally take over your landscape in South Florida (much better behaved in the desert southwest and its native haunts on the drier side of the Sierra Madre, such as in Sonora and Jalisco).

[Merlyn]

I have a lot of regular Selloum (Thaumsdlkfhhy bipisdnntos or something like that!) and the young ones start rounded and get deeper lobes as they develop.  You can grow them shrubby or prune off the lower leaves to make it a "tree."  I also have "Revolutions" but it's proven to need a shady spot at my house.  In sun they seem to wilt back and never grow, but the couple I planted on the West side under canopy are growing really nicely.  "Little Hope" so far seems to stay small, after 2 years in the ground they are only about 2 feet tall with 1 foot diameter leaves.  I haven't tried "Hope" but I'd guess that the label description is accurate...smaller than Selloum and neat leaves.

I did buy several x "Evansii" from Multiflora Enterprises in CA, they were about $40 each after inspection fees, shipping, etc.  They are growing great in the ground, and still have that minimally-lobed look.  If you want giants you could try Brian's Botanicals.  He's making some hybrids of monsters, including Evansii-ish ones...
 

[iDesign]

Here are mine for comparison.

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Philodendron xanadu:

Versatile little shrubbery that stays small. Pretty sun tolerant in my area (which is of course very different than FL). The one in the photo is currently being sun torture-tested in one of my hottest spot (and doing better than a couple of its neighbors).

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Philodendron selloum:

Has been in the ground maybe 4 years? Was a relatively fast grower and takes sun (in my area) like a champ. Extremely common, but for good reason. I personally love how the roots weave down (I'm letting them cover a wall), though I trim the ends periodically.

This summer I'm likely going to trim off the bottom fronds to expose more of the interesting trunk. Here is a stunning specimin I saw at Disneyland Adventureland that's growing to tree form. It was actually wrapping itself around the palm tree behind it, which made me want to plant a large palm behind mine to encourage mine to do likewise.

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Philodendron evansii:

Apparently they were a huge trend for a while, with people putting them right by their front door. The next generation ripped them all out so they're now relatively rare. I got mine from Rancho Soledad at a relatively young age. Tried them in sun, but they didn't seem to like it so have been moved to a shady spot. The leaves are prettier to me than selloum, but likely just because it's a less common plant now. Interesting fact... since they're a hybrid of two plants, the evansii offspring varied in appearance. Rancho Soledad had a ton of them, and I noticed that some favored the selloum side (with deeply lobed leaves), and others favored the more unusual "speciosum" parent. I picked ones that looked more like speciosum. Not the best photo, but here are mine (R.S. had MUCH larger ones, but I bought small for budget reasons)...

The following video gives some fantastic info on evansii, and a better idea of the scale it can grow to...

And a photo of some with especially dark leaves. Not sure if it's because they're mature, a sun difference, or a genetic variation. I'd love for mine to look like this someday...

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Based on your description, evansii & selloum will only be an "understory" plant if your palms are already really tall. And if so, awesome! They might even start to climb one of the palms if planted nearby. But if it's a smaller palm, the petite xanadu would be the safer bet. The other varieties mentioned here also sound great - these are just the three I can comment on.

Hope that helps!

[Looking Glass]

Xanadu does well here, but looks a lot better in shady spots.  In the sun it gets burny and yellow.  Burle Marx has a similar hight, but seems even more sun sensitive.  These are great low growing options.  

Selloum seems to handle a lot of sun here.   I was hoping for something that would get 6-8 feet high in that spot.  I wanted big shrub size to fill out the corner with a tropical look.   It’s kind of a part-sun spot.  

That side of the house is a little barren.  It’s a small area, that needs a couple more 6-8 foot tall plants….  Around a mature sabal.   But not something that is supposed to be 8 feet, but ends up being 20 feet in tropical areas, like some woody plants do.  I’m going to take a closer look at Brazilian red cloak, and maybe an orange bird of paradise also for over there.  Just want to fill up some open ground.  

[Looking Glass]

That evansii looks nice, but I wonder how those leaves hold up to wind.  They look more thin than leathery, wonder if they might get shredded in our summer storms.  

[iDesign]

20 hours ago, Looking Glass said:

That evansii looks nice, but I wonder how those leaves hold up to wind.  They look more thin than leathery, wonder if they might get shredded in our summer storms.  

My evansii are in a protected spot, but the leaves do feel quite thin. The selloum would also be much more wind resistant if nothing else but for the "holes" on the leaf edges that allow the wind to pass through. Evansii is probably best for a "protected" spot (also because of its seemingly lower sun tolerance).

[mnorell]

As to other Philodendrons to use for low bedding usage, I found in the Keys that the Burle-Marx was tolerant of about a half-day's sun (or shifting sun/shade all day, such as under palms), and I tried a number of the currently available low-growing types...the one I found that was most sun-tolerant by far was ''Rojo Congo' (sometimes in the trade as 'Red Congo').This did very well in both sun and dry conditions, where the 'Moonlight' needed the most shade and attention, and 'Prince of Orange' and the others were intermediate in their tolerance. The big problem with these is that they tend to be pricey and to fill a large area it will put a dent in your bank account for sure, unless perhaps you can drive down and find some mom-and-pop nursery around Krome Avenue willing to give you a lot-price. If you have a little shade, Burle-Marx is of course the cheapest option since it is ridiculously fast and easy to propagate by clipping stems with aerial roots and sticking them in the ground, an instant plant in Florida's climate. 

 

[iDesign]

1 hour ago, mnorell said:

As to other Philodendrons to use for low bedding usage...

I paid a pretty penny for my "Prince of Orange", but saw some two years later that were much cheaper (in fact, I just did an online search and it seems like prices on all of these are coming down quickly). "Congo Rojo" has to date been the least expensive (as it seems to have been out the longest). I've had a very similar experience as @mnorell as to the hardiness levels. Mine are outdoors is a mostly shady spot.

- "Congo Rojo" has been a champ. Seems to also be the largest... I saw some HUGE ones at Rancho Soledad, but those might have been brought in from Hawaii.
- "Prince of Orange" looked pretty sad after the first winter (cold damage), but did better this year.
- "Mccolley's Finale" performed similarly to "Prince of Orange"
- "Moonlight" didn't survive winter, but mine was pretty small (I'll try again when I find a reasonably-priced one).
- "Pink Princess" is historically a very expensive plant so I don't own it yet, but I just saw a low-variegation one for $15 locally, so maybe I'll stick one in the yard to cold-test it (I'm so mean to plants).

Cosmetically I like "Prince of Orange" (bright orange new leaf) & "Mccolley's Finale" (bright red new leaf) best, but they're all very pretty. 

[mnorell]

2 hours ago, iDesign said:

I paid a pretty penny for my "Prince of Orange", but saw some two years later that were much cheaper (in fact, I just did an online search and it seems like prices on all of these are coming down quickly). "Congo Rojo" has to date been the least expensive (as it seems to have been out the longest). I've had a very similar experience as @mnorell as to the hardiness levels. Mine are outdoors is a mostly shady spot.

- "Congo Rojo" has been a champ. Seems to also be the largest... I saw some HUGE ones at Rancho Soledad, but those might have been brought in from Hawaii.
- "Prince of Orange" looked pretty sad after the first winter (cold damage), but did better this year.
- "Mccolley's Finale" performed similarly to "Prince of Orange"
- "Moonlight" didn't survive winter, but mine was pretty small (I'll try again when I find a reasonably-priced one).
- "Pink Princess" is historically a very expensive plant so I don't own it yet, but I just saw a low-variegation one for $15 locally, so maybe I'll stick one in the yard to cold-test it (I'm so mean to plants).

Cosmetically I like "Prince of Orange" (bright orange new leaf) & "Mccolley's Finale" (bright red new leaf) best, but they're all very pretty. 

Veering off topic a little, but just FYI, Stacey, I have learned trying some of these in the Palm Springs area (and should work coastally for the most part), survival out west requires 1) immediately upon purchase, wash out the thick muck of peat they're sold in; 2) put together a nice chunky mix such as an orchid mix with a variety of bark sizes, maybe some charcoal, pumice, coco coir (chunks, NOT dust); and 3) plant or place its container under some canopy or eave, hopefully south/southeast facing, with afternoon shelter from sun. They can survive usually under those conditions. (I have found this technique also usually works for Anthurium andreanum and the various Adenium sold en masse in inappropriate media.) Otherwise, stuck in the ground as received from the big-box stores, they will likely rot. This is also how I've managed to get Burle-Marx to survive here, but it did NOT like this horribly "cool" (he says with teeth chattering) and long fall/winter we've been having with consistently depressed temperatures. Basically winter-deciduous in such chilly conditions but if kept with oxygen around the roots and sun warming the root-zone, it will survive through winter and have good summer appearance. I think Burle-Marx has rather little hope for coastal areas of California, though, due to the long, cool spring, I hope somebody will test it there and give an assessment since it's a very useful landscape plant. I'm surprised, actually, because it is like a crazy weed in Florida, withstands hurricanes, inundation, drought, whatever you want to throw at it...one would think the vigor of the plant would extend at least somewhat into some cool-hardiness....alas. I have had one of the green forms of Philodendron similar to the Congo/Moonlight etc. group (I think they are variations on Philodendron tatei?) do very well this winter, it was one of those anonymous things picked up in the houseplant section of HD or Lowe's, but very similar to this. (And luckily for the O.P. "Looking Glass," he doesn't have to worry about any of this, since all of these thrive in SoFla with almost zero attention.)

[Looking Glass]

This genus seems to do pretty well around here, as long as you can provide them with some shade and water them during the dry season.  There are lots of Burle-Marx and Xanadu and others around as taller ground covers.   I get find a lot of them at BB stores, even some of the fancier ones, as overgrown, good looking 3-5 gallon specimens for $15-20 at various times.   Right now the stores and nurseries seem to be getting their spring inventory loaded up.   Lots to tempt you with right now.  

Mccolleys Finale looks amazing..  btw. 

[mnorell]

6 hours ago, Looking Glass said:

This genus seems to do pretty well around here, as long as you can provide them with some shade and water them during the dry season.  There are lots of Burle-Marx and Xanadu and others around as taller ground covers.   I get find a lot of them at BB stores, even some of the fancier ones, as overgrown, good looking 3-5 gallon specimens for $15-20 at various times.   Right now the stores and nurseries seem to be getting their spring inventory loaded up.   Lots to tempt you with right now.  

Mccolleys Finale looks amazing..  btw. 

One of the problems with the P. tatei group (Congo, etc.) is that they don't seem to produce much in the way of aerial roots, and they grow slowly, so they're difficult to propagate as opposed to the ability on many others to cut the crown or stem-segments and let the mother-plant grow a new head. I think these are all propagated via TC from various industry suppliers. Hence the high cost. But I agree, deals can be found, I just got a really nice triple of McColley's Finale (8" pot but plants equivalent to about 3gal size) from either HD or Lowe's, they're selling them set into large ceramic pots for about $30. So that works out to around $10 per plant which is reasonable (particularly in California, where plants cost roughly double compared to Florida, plus these plants are relatively new in the trade in Southern California, at this point untested and sold for the interior/patio market, and not yet commonly stocked). Obviously you should be able to do even better in SoFla.

[Merlyn]

I've done well with Rojo Congo, Moonlight, Xanadu, and Prince of Orange in shady spots.  Xanadu here wants a wet shady area, any significant amount of direct sun turns them yellow and they barely grow.  I saw a huge field of Xanadu at Universal Studios that was in a lot of sun, so it's definitely possible.  Maybe they just water the @%&@ out of it.  Rojo Congo is the only one I've tried in sun, and it'll handle AM to 2PM sun as long as it's watered every morning with a dripline.  It's not frost-hardy though, so it burned to the ground every year in that spot.  I put another under a 10' tall Roebellini up front, and it's pretty happy there with lots of sun and just enough frost protection to not burn badly.

[iDesign]

Here's my little grouping as of this morning...

Not bad considering we're coming out of a relatively cold winter, with me giving no protection. 

- "Prince of Orange" (lower right) is my oldest. Looked terrible after last winter, but seems to be doing a lot better this year (despite zero protection).

- "McColley's Finale(?)" (lower left) is my newest, but there's a chance this one is something other than McColley based on how ALL the leaves are red, and it's more of a burgundy color. I had a "McColley" previously that had ONLY one red new leaf, but killed that one (from being put outside too young). Whatever it is, I like it... though the one I killed (that shot out one bright red leaf) was even cooler. I'll have to get myself another McColley like the one I killed (and figure out what THIS one is, if not a true McColley).

- Back row is one confirmed "Conga Roja" and a NOID one that I suspect is another Congo (though I'm not positive, since the coloring is a little different).

I also had several more types planted here a year ago (Moonlight, Imperial Red, Black Cardinal, and my "flaming red leaf" McColley). But they were tiny and sadly all died last winter.  I'd like to try those again, but wanted to see how these guys did this winter first. If I get more of them, I'll make sure to wait until they're larger before planting, and maybe take the new ones inside during the worst parts of their first winter.

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@mnorell - You get me thinking I do need to try a Burle-Marx. The variegated ones look especially neat, and pricing seems to be coming down quickly. I'm debating between getting a Burle-Marx or the similar-looking "Jose Bueno" though, based on the fact @Tracy has had success with that one in my area. Any guess on whether "Burle-Marx" or "Jose Bueno" would be more likely to do well in my location?

@Looking Glass - Sorry to take this thread so far off the original topic. Feel free to say "get your own topic" if you'd like us to take the small philodendron talk elsewhere. 🥾 🌱

[mnorell]

I know nothing of 'Jose Bueno' (in a quick google I see it is also spelled 'Jose Buono' by vendors but if that is the case then I guess the Spanish fellow had an Italian papa!). If you try Burle-Marx, I would put it up, say in a rocky type of mound or slope, south/southeast facing, just inside the dripline of a protective canopy, and keep very dry in winter. They want a really warm position and the six months of chill might very well be too much for it, so some assistance may be needed using your creativity!

If you want some vining/climbing types, I might suggest you try Rhaphidophora, both R. decursiva and R. tetraphylla. They are very cool-hardy and don't seem at all inclined to rot. They aren't a very well-known plant outside of aroid enthusiast circles (though they do show up in the "miscellaneous" houseplant sections of Big Box stores), they have slit or swiss-cheese-style leaves a la Monstera, and they seem just as hardy and indifferent to chill and wet as Monstera. I have always loved R. decursiva, since the '80s I've always admired a very nice one at the Huntington in the Jungle Garden, I haven't been there in a while but I suspect it's still there. To me it looks very exotic in a 'steaming jungles of Borneo' type of way...not sure how this does in Florida as I think I've never seen one there, nor even noticed one at Fairchild, but imagine it would be a very natural addition to the landscape throughout South Florida.

[Looking Glass]

10 hours ago, iDesign said:

Here's my little grouping as of this morning...

@mnorell

@Looking Glass - Sorry to take this thread so far off the original topic. Feel free to say "get your own topic" if you'd like us to take the small philodendron talk elsewhere. 🥾 🌱

Lol!  No way.  This is now the “Intro to Philodendrons Thread” for me.   Digging those colors you have there.   Good stuff.   Good options.  Keep at it.   

[iDesign]

17 hours ago, mnorell said:

If you want some vining/climbing types, I might suggest you try Rhaphidophora, both R. decursiva and R. tetraphylla. They are very cool-hardy and don't seem at all inclined to rot..

Oh, that's what it's called! I apparently own two of the Rhapidophora tetraphylla, though I've always just referred to them as "mini monstera". Both of mine have done GREAT outdoors (in my 10a CA spot), though they're in the most protected areas of the yard. Not sure if they're both the same exact type, or if the second one is just older. The first one seems more "leggy", while the second one is relatively "bushy". I love them both...

[iDesign]

I also recently acquired a plant my sister brought back from Hawaii that I suspect might be in the same family. She called it a "dragon tail" plant, and I'm now thinking maybe this one is Rhaphidophora decursiva? Currently it's hanging out in my bathroom (with the poor Verschaffeltia splendida, which of course can never live permanently outside, due to cold).

Do you think my "dragon tail" plant is a Rhaphidophora decursiva?
And if so, should I try it outside when a bit more mature?

[Tracy]

On 3/5/2023 at 6:01 PM, Looking Glass said:

Looking to fill out a spot below some palms, I put a couple of these in at a pretty small size.  Wondering about growth rate on these on eventual size.  A neighbor has one that is huge, like a small tree, but the leaves on that one are a bit different… less lobed.

I guess when I first read the post, I was wondering if Monstera deliciosa would fit the need you have in that you were concerned about the overall size potential for Phillodnendron selloum (now Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum ).  Is it something you are already growing elsewhere in the garden and just wanted some diversity?  I've used Monstera in a few spots in my garden to fill the need you described.

 

On 3/6/2023 at 6:54 AM, mnorell said:

There was a time, in the 1960s and 1970s, when it seemed half the houses in Southern California had one of these in their front yards

Funny that you mention that because my parents put them in the backyard  (Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum or the hybrid you mentioned) during the early 60's, using them to outline a patio area behind the pool, along with a Ficus elastica in the very corner of the yard.  It was amazing how big those got over the years.  I know that they weren't the only people in the neighborhood with the same plant choices and of course a couple of Washingtonia robusta.  Yes, that was the landscaping in LA County and Northern Orange County tract homes in the 50's and 60's.

[mnorell]

6 hours ago, iDesign said:

I also recently acquired a plant my sister brought back from Hawaii that I suspect might be in the same family. She called it a "dragon tail" plant, and I'm now thinking maybe this one is Rhaphidophora decursiva? Currently it's hanging out in my bathroom (with the poor Verschaffeltia splendida, which of course can never live permanently outside, due to cold).

Do you think my "dragon tail" plant is a Rhaphidophora decursiva?
And if so, should I try it outside when a bit more mature?

Yes, that’s decursiva! And I put a small one in the coldest part of the yard this year and it looks perfect. Very hardy to chill and cold. No winter yellowing either!