Anthurium
Anthurium andraeanum · the Flamingo Flower
In the wild it grows as an epiphyte on tree trunks in the humid cloud forests of Colombia and Ecuador. The famous lacquered red heart is not a flower and not paint. It is a leaf, a colored bract called a spathe.
Family
Araceae
Origin
Colombia and Ecuador
In the wild
On tree trunks
Indoors
0.3–0.45 m
Growth
Moderate
With pets
Toxic
Where it's from
Colombia and Ecuador
Neotropical cloud forest
Humid Andean forest in Colombia and Ecuador, clinging to tree trunks and branches in warm, shaded, very humid air.
Outdoors: zones 11–12
True tropical. Frost kills it, so almost everywhere it lives indoors. Hawaii grows it as a cut-flower crop.
Not invasive
Not reported as invasive anywhere.
The red heart is a leaf
The waxy red heart is not a flower. It is a colored bract called a spathe. The real flowers are the dozens of tiny bumps on the tail-like spike sticking out of it, which is why it is called tail-flower, from the Greek anthos and oura.
The largest genus in its family
Anthurium has around 1,000 described species, possibly up to 2,000, and new ones are still being found in Colombia and Ecuador.
It blooms year-round
Under good light the spathe colours up all year, in red, pink, white, orange, purple or green, like the peace lily.
A major cut flower
The lacquered spathe lasts weeks in a vase, so it is a top potted plant and a big commercial cut flower at once.
How to keep it
LightBright, indirect
Avoid direct sun, which scorches the leaves. Too much shade and it will not bloom.
WaterConsistently moist
Keep moist year-round and never let it dry out fully, but never soggy. Let the top dry slightly between waterings.
HumidityHighAn epiphyte from humid forest. Dry, drafty air causes leaf scorch and brown tips.
TemperatureAbove 16°CWarm year-round, with no winter dormancy needed. No cold drafts.
SoilAiry, bark-based mixA loose, well-drained epiphyte mix, orchid-style and chunky, with a sphagnum topping for surface roots.
FeedingGrowing season onlyA dilute balanced or bloom feed. Over-feeding causes salt buildup.
DifficultyEasy to moderateThe mass-market bloomer is forgiving. The collector species are not.
With petsToxicInsoluble calcium oxalate crystals, plus saponins. Mouth burning and swelling, drooling and vomiting if chewed. All parts.
PropagationDivisionDivide the basal clump or root offsets. Commercial stock is tissue-cultured.
RepottingEvery 2 yearsRefreshes the mix and flushes mineral buildup. Pot up modestly.
What the data says
What it costs
A split market. The blooming hybrid is a commodity. The velvet-leaf and variegated species are a genuine collector tier.
$10–40
Blooming hybrid
The common florist and box-store andraeanum.
$40–100+
Velvet species
Slow, demanding plants like warocqueanum and luxurians.
$59–$2,800+
Variegated
Variegated clarinervium, crystallinum and others, a real speculative bubble.
$10–40Blooming hybrid
$40–100+Velvet species
$59–$2,800+Variegated
Hover the points. The variegated forms have less chlorophyll, so they grow slower and weaker, and cost far more.
It does not clean your air
Anthurium rides the same air-purifier myth as the peace lily. The 1989 NASA test used a sealed chamber with no airflow.
100–1,000
plants per square metre you would need to rival a building's ventilation (Cummings and Waring, 2019). Buy it because it blooms lacquered red, not to clean your air.
IUCN · Not assessed
In the wild
The mass-market plant thrives in millions of homes while its narrow-range Andean relatives quietly slip away.
A. andraeanum is one of the most cultivated plants on Earth and is not threatened. But many narrow-range wild congeners are imperilled: A. eggersii and A. tenuicaule are Critically Endangered, endemic to Ecuador. Thriving in our homes, vanishing in the wild.
When it sulks
No bloomsToo little light. Move it to brighter indirect light.
Brown leaf tipsLow humidity, dry drafts, or salt buildup from over-feeding or tap water.
Yellow leavesOverwatering and soggy roots, or normal old-leaf ageing.
Mushy baseRoot rot from soggy, poorly drained mix. Never leave it standing in water.
PestsMealybugs, spider mites, whitefly and scale, especially in dry air.
Varieties & company
The varieties
Andraeanum hybridClarinerviumCrystallinumWarocqueanumVariegated
Pairs with · keep apart from
Peace LilyMonsteraFernsSnake PlantCactiSucculents
A new plant, every week.
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