Showerthought: People are calling every green thing 'philodendron' now

I keep seeing folks in plant groups post photos of pothos or monsteras and label them as philodendrons. They're different plants (different families even). I saw three wrong IDs just this morning. It matters because their care needs are not the same, especially for light and water. A true heartleaf philodendron in my east window thrives on weekly water, but my golden pothos in the same spot wants it every 10 days. How do you all keep your plant IDs straight when you buy new ones?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_kevin1mo ago

Is it just me or are we one step away from calling a cactus a philodendron too? I saw someone call a snake plant a philodendron last week and just closed the app.

the_derek1mo ago

Ugh, same thing happens with every hobby now.

the_drew1mo agoMost Upvoted

Actually, snake plants and philodendrons are in different plant families.