Having an anthurium is a great way to add a little bit of the tropics to your home.
Anthuriums are a flowering tropical plant, native to central and south America. They are grown not only for their attractive foliage but also for their long-lasting blooms.
These exotic-looking plants can be grown quite easily as houseplants. A member of the Arum family, there are many different varieties, but the scherzerianum and andreanum types are the most common.
Also known as the Flamingo flower, it is often associated with Hawaii and used in floral arrangements.
Anthurium is Greek for tail flower, which best describes the flower.
The plant produces spathes, which are coloured leaves, and these encircle a fleshy tail (spadix) where the tiny, true flowers are found.
The heart-shaped spathe on the Anthurium is glossy and wax like and the large leathery leaves are shiny, which makes the plant so attractive.
The leaves are on top of 10- to 12-inch upright stems that come from the crown of the plant as do spathes that encircle the tail flower.
As a houseplant, anthuriums are quite easy to grow. For best results they need lots of indirect light.
Hot summer sun can burn the foliage and flowers, but in the winter, a south window would work.
They can thrive in lower light areas but may not bloom as well, because these plants are used to being in the tropics they enjoy warm temperatures and high humidity.
Regular house temperatures of 22 to 30 C is ideal, and try to keep plants away from drafts and vents.
If humidity is low, placing the plant on a pebble tray would help.
A pebble tray is a plant tray filled with pebbles and then filled with water just below the pebbles.
Place the planted anthurium on top of the tray making sure the plant roots are not in contact with the water. As the water evaporates it raises the humidity. Anthuriums should be allowed to go slightly dry between waterings and then be watered thoroughly using room temperature water, discarding any excess water.
Too little water can cause slow growth rates, and too much water will cause the leaves to turn yellow and could cause root rot, which will eventually kill the plant.
Feed the plant with a balanced fertilizer such as 20-20-20.
Don't let its exotic looks fool you. It really is an easy plant to care for and does not require a lot of maintenance and is not often bothered by pests or disease.
Flowers will last four to six weeks and as they fade and dry up they should be removed.
Wipe the leaves periodically with a damp cloth and check for pests such as aphids, scales, and
mealy bugs.
The plant likes to be slightly root bound but when it comes time to transplant choose a pot one size larger then the one it is in.
You may notice the plant has produced tiny plantlets that shoot out from the side of the plant and these can be divided in the spring and replanted in their own pots.
