Common Name: anthurium
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Araceae
Native Range: Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuelan Antilles, Windward Islands
Zone: 11 to 12
Height: 1.00 to 1.50 feet
Spread: 0.75 to 1.00 feet
Bloom Time: Flowers freely
Bloom Description: Yellow spadix with red spathe
Sun: Part shade
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Medium
Flower: Showy
Leaf: Evergreen
Culture
Grow in St. Louis as a houseplant. Use a well-drained, peaty potting mixture with a layer of pot shards at the bottom. Plants need bright light (part or diffused sun in summer), but avoid full sun. In too much shade, plants may not bloom. Bright indirect light in winter is best. Consistent moisture year around. Soils must not be allowed to dry out. Does not require winter dormancy. Prefers high humidity. Regular temperatures in summer and minimum 60°F in winter. Frequent repotting (every 2 years) helps rid soils of unabsorbed minerals. Sphagnum moss on soil surface helps cover and keep moist any roots that appear. Insecticides may harm flowers.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Anthurium andraeanum, commonly called flamingo lily or painter’s palette, is native to Colombia and Ecuador. It is an epiphytic evergreen tropical perennial of the Arum family that is most noted for its attractive waxy, palette-shaped, bright red spathes and contrasting dark green foliage. It typically grows to 16” tall. Drooping, heart-shaped, dark green leaves (to 8” long) arise in a clump on long stems from the plant crown and are attractive year around. Each axillary flower (typical arum family) features a creamy yellow spadix enclosed by a large, flat, waxy red spathe (to 6”). Flowers are long-lasting. Flowers may appear throughout the year in optimum growing conditions. Fruits rarely appear on indoor plants.
Genus name comes from the Greek words anthos meaning a flower and oura meaning a tail referring to the tail-like spadix.
Problems
Watch for mealybugs, spider mites, white fly or scale. Foliage may scorch in dry or drafty locations. Rots, blight and leaf spot may occur.
Uses
Houseplant for bright, humid areas. Popular cut flower.