Anthurium spp.
Family Araceae > Subfamily Pothoideae > Tribe Anthurieae.
About 1000 species of epiphytic plants but cultivated mostly as terrestrials.
They are commonly known just as Anthurium or sometimes as Flamingo flower.
Plants, especially the hybrids, are often about 0.5 m high.
Older plants can develop long stems with aerial roots.
Both the leaves and inflorescences are on long stalks arising from the base of the plant.
Leaves are dark green, glossy and undivided.
The blade, up to 30 cm long, can be heart-shaped, elliptic, lanceolate or linear.
Inflorescences are held above the leaves.
They have a central spadix with tiny flowers and a modified bract or spathe.
The waxy spathe, can be elliptic, ovate, heart or lance-shaped.
It can be erect, spreading, bent backwards or form a hood over the spadix.
The most common spathe colour is red.
The spadix, is usually shaped like a spike but can be spherical or club-shaped.
Commonly white, cream, or red, it is covered in small, spirally arranged, bisexual flowers.
Flowers, a few mm in size, have a perianth of 4 separate tepals.
Fruits are berries in various colours, usually with two seeds.
Plants are easily propagated by suckers.
There are multiple cultivars and hybrids, many from A. andraeanum and A. scherzerianum
both with bright red to orange spathes.
Cultivars have inflorescences that can be small to large.
The spathe can be variously shaped, single or bi-coloured, with contrasting veins.
It can be smooth or wrinkled.
Colours include pink, purple, orange, white, yellow and green.
J.F.
