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philodendron splendid climber Philodendron 'Splendid' – Foliage FactoryPhilodendron 'Splendid' (verrucosum x melanochrysum) Philodendron 'Splendid' is a velvet leaf climbing hybrid made by Keith Henderson in Australia, generally dated to the 1980s, using Philodendron verrucosum as the seed parent and Philodendron melanochrysum as the pollen parent. The name is often credited to Neil Crafter. The hybrid combines heart shaped velvet leaves, strong veining and a climbing stem. The plant grows from nodes with aerial roots
Philodendron 'Splendid' (verrucosum x melanochrysum)
Philodendron 'Splendid' is a velvet-leaf climbing hybrid made by Keith Henderson in Australia, generally dated to the 1980s, using Philodendron verrucosum as the seed parent and Philodendron melanochrysum as the pollen parent. The name is often credited to Neil Crafter. The hybrid combines heart-shaped velvet leaves, strong veining and a climbing stem.
The plant grows from nodes with aerial roots that attach more readily to a textured pole or board. Under steady warm conditions, its leaves can become larger, darker and more defined as the stem climbs.
Velvet leaves from two climbing parents
- Leaf surface: Leaves are velvety, dark green and strongly veined, with a soft sheen under angled light.
- Growth habit: A climbing Philodendron with nodes and aerial roots that attach more readily to a textured support.
- Parentage: Philodendron verrucosum is the seed parent and Philodendron melanochrysum is the pollen parent.
- Leaf development: Mature growth can show larger blades, stronger veining and a darker velvet surface.
What verrucosum and melanochrysum contribute
Philodendron verrucosum contributes the heart-shaped leaf outline, strong venation and velvet surface associated with the species. Philodendron melanochrysum contributes elongated dark velvet foliage, a strong climbing response and warm-toned venation. The result is a dark velvet hybrid with a broad leaf base, visible veins and a clear climbing habit.
New leaves mark easily while they are still expanding, so stable humidity, even root moisture and gentle handling matter during each leaf flush. Aerial roots respond best when they meet a lightly moist, textured surface and the potting mix remains open around the main roots.
Care for a velvet climbing Philodendron
- Light: Give bright indirect light. Velvet leaves can scorch in direct midday sun, while low light leads to longer internodes and smaller leaves.
- Watering: Water when the top 3–5 cm of substrate has dried. Keep moisture even, but never leave the root ball saturated for long periods.
- Substrate: Use an airy aroid mix with bark, coco chips, perlite or pumice, and a moisture-holding organic component. Fine, compact soil increases root-rot risk.
- Humidity: Aim for moderate to high humidity, especially while new leaves expand. A humidifier, grouped plants or a vitrine can help prevent stuck or torn growth.
- Temperature: Keep warm, ideally 20–27 °C. This hybrid grows poorly when roots are cold and wet.
- Support: Provide a moss pole, coco pole or textured board early. Tie the stem loosely so nodes and aerial roots can make contact.
- Feeding: Feed lightly during active growth. Velvet climbers respond better to steady nutrition than to strong fertiliser spikes.
- Repotting: Repot when roots fill the pot or the substrate breaks down. Keep the root ball supported during repotting to avoid snapping the climbing stem.
Signals from leaves, roots and support
- Small leaves on long internodes: Check light and support. A climbing stem without enough light or contact often produces stretched growth.
- Stuck new leaves: Check humidity, watering consistency and airflow. New velvet leaves are vulnerable while still rolled.
- Brown edges: Look for dry root stress, fertiliser build-up or air that is too dry around expanding leaves.
- Yellow leaves and soft roots: Check for dense substrate or watering before the mix has aired out. Refresh the mix if it has collapsed.
- Pest scarring: Inspect the newest leaves and undersides for thrips or spider mites. Velvet texture can hide early damage until the leaf expands.
Pet safety for Philodendron 'Splendid'
Philodendron 'Splendid' should be kept away from pets and small children. Like other Philodendron, it can contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals that irritate the mouth and digestive tract if ingested. Wash hands after pruning, and keep cuttings out of reach.
Parent names and botanical meaning
Philodendron belongs to the Araceae family, and the genus name comes from Greek roots meaning “love” and “tree”, a reference to the tree-associated growth of many species. Philodendron verrucosum was first published by L. Mathieu ex Schott, and the epithet verrucosum means warty, matching the textured petiole character associated with the species. Philodendron melanochrysum was published by Linden and André; its epithet combines Greek roots for black and gold, matching the dark velvet leaf surface and warm vein colour that made the species known in cultivation.
Philodendron 'Splendid' develops dark velvet leaves, pronounced veining and a true climbing habit from two classic velvet Philodendron parents.
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4.9 ★★★★★
Based on 29 reviews
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Product Reviews
★★★★★ 5
Great book
Format: Paperback
Got this for my son and helped him finish coding his game although it takes some time to learn it I definitely recommend this book
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Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2024
★★★★★ 1
Out of date and just plain not good instruction
Format: Kindle
This has problems that I have seen from many non-educators when they write an instructional book (so I hope she is not an actual educator). The book makes leaps of faith of knowledge and has a belief that they have shown you well enough to do one thing (which it doesn't) and that you can extrapulate from that knowledge to do something completely different. They makes these leaps of faith in the first couple hours, when people are just getting used to coding in this language.
This book also fails to even tell you what different parts of the code are doing, so that you can make those leaps of knowledge. I also find this happens a lot when people write coding books. They know how to code, so they figure if they just show you parts of a code you will figure out why it did what it did, instead of explaining to you what different parts of code actually do when you put them together.
I made it almost through hour two before I gave up trying to decipher all the nonsense that was written in this book. In hour two they have you make a sphere, but never actually show you how to make the sphere, but then start telling you how to create dialog for the sphere. Apparently in hour 1, even though it was never explained, I was supposed to understand how to make a lava field with objects.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2024
★★★★★ 5
Must-read book for everyone (not just Ai proponents)
Format: Paperback
I realize I say this about every AI book I read, but this one really is the best (so far), and most important in my view."Atlas of AI" by Kate Crawford is a well-researched work that should appeal to AI enthusiasts and opponents alike; not because it flatters either side, but because it challenges both to think beyond the usual narratives.
Whether you see Ai as a revolutionary tool for progress or a dystopian force of unchecked power, there’s no denying that it it is shaped by real-world systems of labor, industry, and politics.This book makes it clear: Ai is not just about algorithms and efficiency. It is about power: who wields it, who profits from it, and who is left to bear its costs.
For those who celebrate Ai’s potential (like me), Atlas of AI offers a sobering look at the material and ethical realities behind the inertia and hype.For those who critique AI as a damaging or dystopian force, the book provides a well-researched (eye-opening) foundation for those concerns.What makes it especially compelling is that it doesn’t fall into the trap of alarmism OR blind optimism.
Instead, Crawford takes us on a deep, methodical journey through the infrastructures that sustain artificial intelligence, revealing the hidden costs (labor, environmental, political) that come with EVERY so-called innovation.**Deconstructing the Myths of AI**One of the book’s greatest strengths is its ability to cut through the persistent myths surrounding artificial intelligence. Crawford systematically dismantles the notion that AI is a purely immaterial, frictionless technology.
She examines the vast mining operations necessary to produce hardware, the exploitative labor practices behind data annotation, and the enormous energy demands of AI training model. Ai, in her analysis, is not an autonomous or inevitable force—it is an industrial system deeply intertwined with capitalism, surveillance, and environmental degradation (much of her research applies to Big Tech, and not just Ai).
This perspective is crucial in an era where Ai is often presented as a revolutionary technology that exists outside of history and politics.Crawford makes it clear that Ai is not “just math” but a political tool wielded by those in power, often reinforcing existing inequalities.
The Ethics of Extraction and Control:
One of Crawford's most compelling arguments is the framing of AI as an extractive industry: one that harvests resources, labor, and data in much the same way as colonial enterprises have in the past.The book traces how Ai development is dependent on resource-intensive practices, from lithium mining for hardware to the invisible armies of low-wage workers tasked with cleaning and labeling data.
Crawford argues Ai is a system built on the extraction of value from the most vulnerable populations, whether they be gig workers, Amazon's "Mechanical Turk" laborers, or the communities living in the shadow of server farms that consume enormous amounts of water and energy.Crawfors cites numerous examples of how corporations like Google and Amazon, and even the government, skirt the system to save on taxes, while promising better futures to the resource-rich communities they exploit.
The theme of extraction extends beyond the physical to the digital realm.Crawford shows how personal data is commodified under the guise of “training AI,” reinforcing the asymmetrical relationship between those who generate data and those who profit from it.The book’s critique aligns with broader concerns about surveillance capitalism, demonstrating how Ai is often wielded as a means of control rather than liberation. (I learned some sad truths about local community policing and Ai)
AI and the Politics of Classification
Crawford explores how classification systems, often presented as objective/neutral, are deeply embedded with biases. Ai systems are trained on datasets shaped by human prejudices, yet are frequently deployed as infallible arbiters of truth. Crawford examines how facial recognition, predictive policing, and automated hiring systems encode and reinforce racial, gendered, and socioeconomic biases, often amplifying systemic discrimination.
This analysis is particularly relevant in today’s discussions on AI ethics. Crawford’s work underscores that Ai bias is not simply a technical glitch to be fixed, but rather a feature of the broader political and economic structures that Ai is designed to serve.
A Necessary and Timely Intervention
For those who have followed debates on Ai ethics, surveillance capitalism, and data justice, Atlas of AI provides a well-researched and compelling synthesis of these concerns, free from the noise we commonly hear on social media outlets. It is particularly valuable in challenging the mainstream, corporate-driven narratives that portray Ai as an inevitable and benign technological force.
Crawford’s writing is insightful, well-documented, and accessible, making complex ideas understandable without sacrificing depth. While the book is critical in tone, it does not merely scold Ai developers; rather, it offers a crucial intervention in ongoing discussions about how Ai is developed, deployed, and governed.The book had a surprisingly anti-capitalist/anti-technocratic tone, that inspired me to continue learning/aligning under the anti-fascist flag so many of us wield.
For artists, researchers, and technologists (especially those working at the intersection of Ai and creative expression) Atlas of Ai serves as a stark and vital reminder that technology is never neutral. It invites us to think critically about the systems we engage with and the ethical implications of our participation in Ai-driven ecosystems (and really, all major technologies).
Atlas of AI is an essential read for anyone interested in understanding the broader implications of artificial intelligence beyond the hype. It moves beyond discussions of algorithms and model accuracy to examine the power structures that shape Ai’s impact on society. By reframing AI as a material and political phenomenon rather than a disembodied technological marvel, Crawford provides a necessary course-correction to the dominant narratives surrounding Ai.
This book is not just for AI skeptics but for anyone who wants to engage in a deeper, more nuanced conversation about the technology shaping our present and future. If we are to meaningfully confront the challenges AI presents, we need more books that challenge us to think critically, demand accountability, and advocate for more just and equitable technological futures.
For those of us who engage with AI,whether as artists, researchers, developers, or critics, Atlas of AI should serve as a wake-up call. Too often, Ai artists defend the technology out of pride or personal investment, dismissing valid ethical concerns as fear-mongering. On the other side, anti-AI voices often resist engagement with nuance, preferring to frame Ai as an existential threat rather than a tool shaped by human systems of power. Both of these stances miss the point. Crawford makes it clear that the real battle isn’t Ai vs. artists or progress vs. tradition, it’s about who controls the technology, who benefits from it, and who is left to suffer the consequences. If we are serious about the future of art, technology, and creative autonomy, we must move beyond our egos and engage critically with the systems that shape Ai. This book gives us all a foundation to unify under, not in opposition to Ai itself, but in opposition to the unchecked power structures that exploit it and us.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2025
★★★★★ 5
I wish Americans could read Kate Crawford’s book
Format: Kindle
It is a sad bit of irony that the “information revolution” has created a society in which the vast majority of Americans don’t know where their food or water come from. “I don’t get all this talk about drought. You just turn on the faucet and get all the water you want.” It’s no wonder that we’ve created an entire generation of Americans who have no idea where their computing resources come from. “I don’t get all this ‘cost of AI’ talk. ChatGPT is free. Just open your iphone and it will answer any question you have.” While Crawford’s Atlas of AI is a bit sesquipedalian, it is a comprehensive, well-organized, impeccably researched story of where all our miraculous computing power actually comes from. For all the Doomer talk of AI someday making humans extinct, Crawford shows that the way the most powerful American corporations are implementing AI is ALREADY causing vast harm to humans globally, and it will only continue to get worse. Not from some mythical science fiction robot suddenly becoming smarter than people, but from mass ignorance of the slow but steady human-driven global natural resource depletion and exploitation of the most vulnerable people. It’s doubly sad that our polarized culture war politics prevents most Americans from asking the critical questions that Crawford explores in her journey through the landscape of AI creation and production. This book is neither Marxist nor anti-capitalist. It simply argues that, just like there are better ways of managing our water and food resources, there is a better way to manage our computing resources—the first step being a common understanding that there is a natural resource and human cost to every floating point operation that a computer performs. I wish that Americans were able to read, understand, and appreciate such an important analysis of the biggest problem that will confront humans in the next few decades.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2025
★★★★★ 4
Removing data from databases or datasets.
Format: Kindle
If the share a video or photo option was working I would share the screenshot. However, I'll quote it.
"Most of the adults on the list had never been charged, but once they were included, ther was no way to have their name removed."
This needs more clarification as you can delete data from a database. Especially if web based, there should be CRUD principles added. If that was not the case there's still ways to delete the data or even change it's classification. I will give benefit of the doubt that there's an underlying reason it was said there was no way to remove or that I even misunderstood the context around it. Just seems a little like reaching by this point.
Also, I do like this book and a fresh perspective on data collection even though at times it seems to read a little emotional for what I was expecting of an Atlas. Regardless looking past the verbiage of emotions, this is a great book that does point out a lot of history with AI. Thank you for creating this book! Also giving more data to the internet to be used for.... AI... lol
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Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2024