Philodendron hederaceum vs micans [Differences & Similarities]

Do you ever try to focus on the differences between the philodendron hederaceum and micans like me? A few days ago, I had a discussion with my friend about the hederaceum vs micans because I was unaware of their dissimilarities. But he focused on some important points that I didn’t notice before.

The main differences between philodendron hederaceum and micans are seen in leaves, origin, flowers etc. The leaves of philodendron hederaceum are glossy green and hardy while those of micans are dark velvety green with purplish-red edges and soft surfaces. The leaves of hederaceum are wider than those of micans. The hederaceum doesn’t produce any flower while the micans have green and white colored flower spathes when they get matured.

As both of these plants are much preferable to people as houseplants, philodendron hederaceum vs micans is often a point of argument. But I also noticed a few precise descriptions of these differences in my plants later and highlighted them here. So, we are introducing this article to give you a detailed comparison of both plants. Let’s scroll down to go through the comprehensive guide below.

Comparison table of philodendron hederaceum and micans

There are a few differences between philodendron hederaceum and micans in their origin, growth, type and nature of leaves. Before getting into the detailed discussion, here is a quick view of a comparison table between philodendron hederaceum and micans.

Basis of Comparison	Philodendron hederaceum	Micans
Common name	philodendron heart leaf	Velvet leaf philodendron, vilevine.
Plant type	Perennial.	Perennial.
Leaves	Green heart-shaped	Dark green velvet leaf
Foliage	Glossy light green or, pale green	Green velvety feel with purplish-red/bronze color Edges
Watering system	Much akin to water	Not much akin to water
Average length	May be kept 3-8 feet tall as an indoor plant,Can be maximum 10-13 feet tall as an outdoor plant.	May be kept 2-4 feet tall as an indoor plant,and can be a maximum of 11-13 feet tall as an outdoor plant.
Average width	2 to 3 feet wide (slightly wider than micans).	1 to 2 feet wide.
Humidity percentage	65 to 80 percent.	65 to 85 percent.
The ideal temperature	is 70°F to 85°F	Prefer a slightly cool place (65°F to 75° F)
Potting medium	best when the soil is loamy with lots of sand.	Best if the soil can retain the moisture.
Soil type	is best with a rapid drainage system.	With good drainage but a moisture retention system
Soil pH	Grows in acidic soil.	Grows in acidic soil.
Flower blooming	Doesn’t produce flowers.	Produce green and white colored flower spathes rarely.
Native area	Central America, The Caribbean.	Tropical region of Mexico and the Caribbean, Central America & North America
Toxicity	Toxic and produces Severe symptoms in pets.	Toxic to pets and sometimes produces skin irritations

Philodendron hederaceum vs micans

Most people have the misconception that the philodendron hederaceum plant is the same as a micans plant. But to be very clear, they are not the same plant at all. The two plants are hard to distinguish until they are kept side by side. 

Anyone can easily differentiate these two plants just by observing their physical outlooks. The most basic difference in the outer look of these two plants is that the leaves of philodendron hederaceum are in lighter and brighter green shade compared to that of micans. The leaves of micans plants are dark velvety green but those of philodendron hederaceum is not.

Besides, the philodendron hederaceum plant is normally bigger than the micans as an indoor plant. Again, the leaves of philodendron hederaceum are also rougher than those of micans.

How can we differentiate philodendron hederaceum and micans?

Though philodendron hederaceum and micans are related plants, they have several distinctive differences by which we can differentiate them. Let’s discuss them below in detail.

Types of foliage

The foliage of hederaceum is pale and slightly brownish. On the contrary, the foliage of micans is dark green with a velvety feel and purplish-red or, bronze color Edges.

Nature of leaves

The leaves of the philodendron hederaceum are slightly bigger than the micans. Again, the color of philodendron hederaceum leaves is light green or, pale green with vein lines whereas, the leaves of micans have a dark velvety green finish with a little bit of shimmer and purplish-red or, bronze edges.

Besides, the leaves of philodendron hederaceum are a little bit harder than micans as the micans leaves have a smooth velvet surface.

In addition, the leaves of micans get darker green and their purplish-red or, bronze edges start fading away when they become mature, while the leaves of hederaceum don’t.

Growth of plants

Though both the philodendron hederaceum and micans are fast-growing plants and can be very tall if they are planted outside, the micans are slightly more fast-growing plants. So, the micans are slightly taller than the hederaceum. But the philodendron hederaceum is slightly wider than the micans.

Such as, philodendron hederaceum may be kept 3-8 feet tall as an indoor plant and can be a maximum of 10-13 feet tall as an outdoor plant and can be 2 to 3 feet wide. Again, micans may be kept 2-4 feet tall as indoor plants and can be a maximum of 11-13 feet tall as an outdoor plants and can be 1 to 2 feet wide.

Native area

The hederaceum is from central America and the Caribbean. They are usually found in swamps and on river banks, roadsides etc.

On the other hand, the micans plants are mainly from the tropical region of Mexico and the Caribbean, Central America & North America.

Watering requirements

The philodendron hederaceum plant is much more akin to water than the micans. So, frequent and generous watering should be ensured for the hederaceum.

On the other hand, micans are not much more akin to hederaceum and thus can tolerate dryness than hederaceum.

Blooming of flower

The philodendron hederaceum doesn’t produce any flower whereas micans have green and white colored flower spathes (spathes are like a big petal of a flower that seems to be a flower) when they get matured.

Why does anyone need to distinguish between philodendron hederaceum and micans?

As both philodendron hederaceum and micans are from the Araceae family and philodendron genus, look alike to some extent. So, often they are mixed up with one another. Again people get confused as both plants are vines and have heart-shaped and greenery leaves.

As people often mistake both the philodendron hederaceum and micans plants, we need to distinguish them properly and decorate the home accordingly. People who love to decorate their homes with houseplants have to learn about the comparison between the plants to individualize and bring them correctly.

How do philodendron hederaceum and micans resemble each other?

As we know that the philodendron hederaceum and micans both share a common ancestry and are a rare variety of houseplants, they contain some noticeable similarities in their appearance indeed and so people get confused. Thus these similarities between them are needed for this article to clarify people’s misconceptions fully. The similarities are given below.

Scientific Information: According to the scientific classification, both the philodendron hederaceum and micans plants are almost the same. Such as, both plants belong to the same kingdom(Plantae), clade(tracheophytes angiosperms, monocots), order(Alismatales), family(Araceae) and genus(philodendron).

Visual description: Both the philodendron hederaceum and micans are predominating trailing vines houseplants with green heart-shaped leaves that often make them confused to identify if suddenly they are seen separately.

Soil and potting system: Both plants prefer soil that is loamy, acidic and can retain moisture. The potting system must be well drainage and moisture retention.

Methods of fertilizing: Both the philodendron hederaceum and micans plants prefer liquid fertilizers most than organic dry fertilizers.

Exposure to sunlight: The exposure of sunlight for both plants is partly. They both thrive best in bright and indirect sunlight. Direct sunlight can cause damage like sunburn or, leaf yellowing or, leaf curling etc.

Which plant will be better, philodendron hederaceum and micans?

If you want a suggestion from me about which one will be a better plant between the philodendron hederaceum and micans, I will cheer you up that you can bring both of them. Why not both of them when there is a proverb, “the more, the merrier.” Besides, philodendron hederaceum and micans, both plants are too adorable to keep in your room as home decor.

For hederaceum, we can say that they still make a great choice for indoor plants as their leaf thickness is one of the advantages they implement when resisting possible exposure to pests and many leaf rots-related diseases.

Generally, the hederaceum also helps to clear toxins in the atmosphere more efficiently and their bigger and thicker leaves help the plan to make a bolder statement.

Again when it comes to micans, If you are thinking about gifting or, owning a plant for the colors, then the micans are a great choice.

In addition to health benefits and atmospheric advantages like providing good breathable air, the philodendron mican makes a perfect gift as it has an intriguing color and an appropriate scent to match. It is also a plant that’s easy to take care of and look after and as such, you’d have no issues caring for what they need.

But if you still want to bring only one plant from them, then I would like to say that I have disclosed all of their features, similarities and dissimilarities in front of you. Now, decide on which plant will be better for you and decorate your home with that.

Are micans unique compared to philodendron hederaceum?

Yes, micans are unique in comparison to the philodendron hederaceum. But micans are not so rare. Micans plants have become extremely popular as houseplants because of their unique dark green velvety appearance that they can be difficult to come across in some regions nowadays. But if you can get one you won’t regret it for sure. Micans look unique and great in hanging planters or, climbing moss poles or, trellises.

Final thoughts

Gradually, I reached the end of my details. Finally, we can see that philodendron hederaceum and micans are slightly confusing as they are from the same family order. They are similar, but not the same. Thus they have different needs and characteristics. From the entire discussion, let’s make recap what we get from this article-

• The philodendron hederaceum has clean glossy green leaves that alternate and look like rubber from a distance and the micans have dark green velvety leaves.
• The micans produce green and white flower spathes when they get matured while the hederaceum doesn’t produce any flower at all.
• The advantages and benefits of both plants are quite similar.
• The micans create skin irritants while the hederaceum doesn’t.

Understanding all these comparisons can help to differentiate both plants and care for them and propagate them successfully accordingly.

You can also read our guide on-
Philodendron Cordatum vs Hederaceum