Philodendron Melanochrysum
The Black Gold Philodendron — a name that captures both the deep, near-black coloration of mature leaves and the golden iridescence that shimmers across their surface in good indirect light, and one of the most evocative and accurate plant common names in the collector aroid world. Native to the humid montane forests of Colombia and Ecuador, Philodendron melanochrysum is a hemiepiphytic climber that produces what many collectors consider the single most beautiful mature leaf of any climbing philodendron — large, elongated, deeply velvety, and extraordinarily dark, with a near-black to very deep forest green surface that reveals a subtle golden-green iridescence as the viewing angle changes. The venation is pale to golden-green, running at a pronounced angle from the midrib — more moody and atmospheric than graphic, a quiet counterpoint to the dark surface. New leaves emerge in spectacular saturated orange-bronze to copper coloration before fading through warm tones to the extraordinary dark velvet of maturity. Leaf size increases dramatically with vertical climbing, with well-supported mature specimens producing leaves exceeding 24 inches in length.
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Light: Bright but soft indirect light — direct sun bleaches the characteristic near-black coloration, while insufficient light reduces the golden iridescence and slows growth significantly.
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Soil: Very chunky, open aroid mix of orchid bark, perlite, and coco coir; excellent drainage and root aeration are essential.
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Temperature/Humidity: Warm temperatures between 65-80°F; humidity of 60-70% supports the best velvet texture and cleanest leaf emergence.
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Watering: Allow the top 1-2" of medium to dry between waterings; water thoroughly and drain completely. Never waterlog.
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Fertilizer: Feed with a balanced liquid fertilizer every 4 weeks during active growth; supplement with calcium and magnesium for best leaf quality. Reduce in winter.
Philodendron Melanochrysum
Every plant is unique. Your plant will be cared for like it's our own and selected especially for you. Plants may arrive with minor cosmetic imperfections such as creases, tears, or discoloration from shipping stress. Please allow up to 2-3 weeks for your plant to acclimate before repotting.
Plants listed as "EXACT" in the title will be the exact plant pictured. Decorative pots pictured are not included, plants ship in plastic nursery pots unless otherwise noted.
Feel free to contact us with any questions before placing your order — we're here to make your experience easy and enjoyable.
Ships in 3–5 business days via UPS Ground. Expedited delivery options are available at checkout. 2 Day Air is recommended for all plant orders outside of southeast USA for safe delivery.
Cold protection packaging is available for orders shipping to colder climates — add it here.
Customers praised this healthy, beautiful tropical houseplant with stunning foliage. "Packaged carefully" and arrives in excellent condition despite long shipping. Most received full, mature specimens. One shopper noted size was smaller than advertised, another found minor root rot. Praised for exceptional customer service.
This has been a fabulous shop in every way: great price, reasonable and FAST shipping, great quality plant, well packaged, excellent communication, plant care instructions upon arrival
Fantastic customer service! I’ve ordered from this seller before and had no issues, but the shipping company decided to play soccer with my package, and the plant I received was pretty tattered and had leaves broken off (see photos).
The seller actually sent me a replacement, (also pictured) which I did not ask for (I just wanted to let them know what happened) and they’ve both put out a new leaf. Great shop, one of my favorites for plants!! I browse their selection regularly
Not gonna lie, it’s bigger than I thought it would be. Looks to be in good health other than one leaf but it’s hot outside so I’m not mad.
Absolutely gorgeous plant well packaged and in pristine condition and it even has a pretty new leaf unfurled for unboxing time! I ordered this as a birthday gift and they included a nice message and they were super fast on shipping. 10/10 will be back!
Terrific experience all around. Shipping was fast, communication was prompt and on point, seller is a five star act.
My melanochrysum arrived healthy, no damage, and is bigger than I expected (it has 9 leaves already).
Would highly recommend this seller. Would undoubtedly return to purchase from them again. Very pleased.
Plants looks healthy for the most part, shipping took forever but other than that looks good
Arrived in excellent condition and zero damage. Looks super healthy and I’m really happy with it !
BEAUTIFUL specimen! Arrived very well packaged and safe! Customer service was stellar when there was an issue with what I originally ordered and they replaced with TWO plants of the same kind! Before my original order shipped, they contacted me saying “The item I originally ordered did not meet their quality control standards” and replaced it with two smaller sized specimens that are absolutely outstanding! Highly recommend this store!
Healthy plant arrived fast! I’m super impressed with the long leaves I put it on a large moss pole hopefully with how healthy the plant is she’ll shoot out larger leaves
I love this plant !
I ordered two plants from this Etsy shop and I am very happy with my purchase. They arrived on time, packaged carefully and freshly watered. Definitely recommend!
Great product and beautifully packed. I love it.
Will return
Happy customer
Thank you
My Gigas arrived in great shape. Great packaging as usual. Highly recommend.
My first time getting a plant for them and I will be getting more. I live across the United states in the plant came healthy as it could ever be!
The melanocrysum that arrived is neither full nor is it large. There are at least two vines, and it does look healthy so far (hence at least 2 stars), but I don’t believe it was worth as much as advertised due to the extreme juvenile state of the vines. A shame as I’ve ordered two other plants from this seller which turned out to be as advertised.
Arrived in excellent condition, packaged with care, very healthy and thriving. It has now fluffed out since this photo.
The XL mature/large form melanochrysums I received were in near perfect form. Aside from some mild mechanical damage or what looks like some history with pests. Strong healthy leaves with internode spacing being short. It’s exactly what you want to see in your plant.
Plant arrived in soilless medium (moss, perlite etc) which I appreciate and acclimated quickly to my home. No complaints, this plant arrived perfectly and I love looking at it every day.
This seller really knows how to pack a plant! It arrived just ahead of the big freeze in January 2026. The plant arrived without any damage at all it looks beautiful thank you so much.
Customer service was great. The plants arrived in a timely manner and looked exactly like the photos, even more beautiful in person! I’m so in love with them🥰
My plant arrived in much better condition than I expected, especially considering the cold climate. I didn’t know what to expect from the cold weather packaging add-on but I would’ve paid more. It was wrapped in cardboard with cotton stuffed inside, which was then wrapped in insulated bubble wrap. A large warming pod was at the bottom and I could still feel the warmth from outside the box when it arrived. Minor leaf damage occurred but much less than I expected. No apparent cold damage at all. I’m extremely happy with my purchase. Seller even reminded me twice to get the cold protection, which I hadn’t thought of.
I am blown away with the quality of my new baby!! Plants almost always have some wear and tear from the shipping, but my goodness this plant is damn near almost perfect! And so full and large! Packaged beautifully as well, made sure to put live plant stickers that showed which way the package should be handled and “fragile”tape. Definitely will be purchasing more plants down the road, no doubt about it!
Customer service was extremely helpful when I checked out I did not check out for me with getting things delivered as a gift safely. It was so grateful that the seller reached out and helped me fix the situation instead of just shipping my product and hoping it made it. Definitely will be buying from them again.
