''Anthurium'' (; Schott, 1829) is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of about 1,000Mantovani, A. and T. E. Pereira. (2005)
''Anthurium'' (section ''Urospadix''; subsection ''Flavescentiviridia'').
''Rodriguesia'' 56(88), 145–60.

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of flowering plants, the largest genus of the arum

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

, Araceae. General common names include anthurium, tailflower, flamingo flower,''Anthurium'' spp.
Poisonous Plants of North Carolina. North Carolina State University. and laceleaf. The genus is native to the Americas, where it is distributed from northern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

to northern

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

and parts of the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

Description and biology

''Anthurium'' is a genus of herbs often growing as

epiphyte An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

s on other plants. Some are terrestrial. The leaves are often clustered and are variable in shape. The

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

bears small flowers which are

perfect Perfect commonly refers to: * Perfection, completeness, excellence * Perfect (grammar), a grammatical category in some languages Perfect may also refer to: Film * Perfect (1985 film), ''Perfect'' (1985 film), a romantic drama * Perfect (2018 f ...

, containing male and female structures. The flowers are contained in close together spirals on the spadix. The spadix is often elongated into a spike shape, but it can be globe-shaped or club-shaped. Beneath the spadix is the

spathe In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

, a type of

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

. This is variable in shape, as well, but it is lance-shaped in many species. It may extend out flat or in a curve. Sometimes it covers the spadix like a hood. The fruits develop from the flowers on the spadix. They are juicy

berries A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

varying in color, usually containing two seeds. The spadix and spathe are a main focus of ''Anthurium'' breeders, who develop

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

s in bright colors and unique shapes. ''Anthurium scherzerianum'' and ''A. andraeanum'', two of the most common taxa in cultivation, are the only species that grow bright red spathes. They have also been bred to produce spathes in many other colors and patterns. ''Anthurium'' plants are poisonous due to

calcium oxalate Calcium oxalate (in archaic terminology, oxalate of lime) is a calcium salt of oxalic acid with the chemical formula . It forms hydrates , where ''n'' varies from 1 to 3. Anhydrous and all hydrated forms are colorless or white. The monohydrate ...

crystals. The sap is irritating to the skin and eyes.

Cultivation

Like other aroids, many species of ''Anthurium'' plant can be grown as houseplants, or outdoors in mild climates in shady spots, including ''

Anthurium crystallinum ''Anthurium crystallinum'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Araceae, native to rainforest margins in Central and South America, from Panama to Peru. Growing to tall and broad, it is an epiphytic perennial, characterised by large, ve ...

'' and ''

Anthurium clarinervium ''Anthurium clarinervium'', known as the velvet cardboard anthurium, is a species of flowering plant is in the family Araceae, native to Chiapas, Mexico. The ''Anthurium'' genus is known to contain approximately 1,000 species, resulting in one of ...

'' with its large, velvety, dark green leaves and silvery white venation. Many hybrids are derived from ''

Anthurium andraeanum ''Anthurium andraeanum'' is a flowering plant species in the family Araceae that is native to Colombia and Ecuador. A winner of the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit, it is one of the plants listed in the NASA Clean Air Study, ...

'' or ''

Anthurium scherzerianum ''Anthurium scherzerianum'', the flamingo flower or pigtail plant, is a species of ''Anthurium'' (family Araceae) native to Costa Rica. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit as an ornamental houseplant, kept at or ...

'' because of their colorful spathes. They thrive in moist soils with high organic matter. In milder climates the plants can be grown in pots of soil. Indoors plants thrive at temperatures of and at lower light than other house plants. Wiping the leaves off with water will remove any dust and insects. Plants in pots with good root systems will benefit from a weak fertilizer solution every other week. In the case of vining or climbing Anthuriums, the plants benefit from being provided with a totem to climb.

Propagation

''Anthurium'' can be propagated by seed or

vegetatively Vegetative reproduction (also known as vegetative propagation, vegetative multiplication or cloning) is any form of asexual reproduction occurring in plants in which a new plant grows from a fragment or cutting of the parent plant or spec ...

by cuttings. In the commercial ''Anthurium'' trade, most propagation is via

tissue culture Tissue culture is the growth of tissues or cells in an artificial medium separate from the parent organism. This technique is also called micropropagation. This is typically facilitated via use of a liquid, semi-solid, or solid growth medium, su ...

.Chen, J., et al
Cultural guidelines for commercial production of interiorscape ''Anthurium''.
ENH956. Environmental Horticulture. Florida Cooperative Extension Service. University of Florida IFAS. Published 2003, revised 2009.

Species

For a full list, see the List of ''Anthurium'' species. In 1860 there were 183 species known to science, and Heinrich Wilhelm Schott defined them in 28 sections in the book ''Prodromus Systematis Aroidearum''. In 1905 the genus was revised with a description of 18 sections. In 1983 the genus was divided into the following sections:Sections of ''Anthurium''.
aroid.org * '' Belolonchium'' * '' Calomystrium'' * '' Cardiolonchium'' * '' Chamaerepium'' * '' Cordatopunctatum'' * '' Dactylophyllium'' * '' Decurrentia'' * '' Digitinervium'' * ''

Gymnopodium Gymnopodium is a genus of plants in the family Polygonaceae with three species of shrubs in Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United S ...

'' * '' Leptanthurium'' * '' Pachyneurium'' * '' Polyphyllium'' * '' Polyneurium'' * '' Porphyrochitonium'' * '' Schizoplacium'' * '' Semaeophyllium'' * '' Tetraspermium'' * '' Urospadix'' * '' Xialophyllium''

Gallery

File:Flamingo Flower Orchid.JPG, Flamingo Flower File:Anthuriumpolyschistumjuvenile-araceum1.jpg, ''

Anthurium polyschistum ''Anthurium'' (; Schott, 1829) is a genus of about 1,000Mantovani, A. and T. E. Pereira. (2005)''Anthurium'' (section ''Urospadix''; subsection ''Flavescentiviridia'').''Rodriguesia'' 56(88), 145–60. species of flowering plants, the largest g ...

'' Image:Anthurium digitatum0.jpg, ''

Anthurium digitatum ''Anthurium'' (; Schott, 1829) is a genus of about 1,000Mantovani, A. and T. E. Pereira. (2005)''Anthurium'' (section ''Urospadix''; subsection ''Flavescentiviridia'').''Rodriguesia'' 56(88), 145–60. species of flowering plants, the largest g ...

'' inflorescence File:Anthurium scandens berries.jpg, ''

Anthurium scandens ''Anthurium scandens'' is a species of plant in the genus ''Anthurium''. Native from Mexico to Southeast Brazil, it is the most widely distributed species of ''Anthurium'' in the Americas, and also extends to the Caribbean including Haiti, Puerto ...

'' fruits and leaves File:Anthurium gracile.jpg, ''

Anthurium gracile ''Anthurium gracile'', the red pearls anthurium, is a species of flowering plant in the family Araceae, native to the American tropics. An epiphyte, when kept as a houseplant it needs excellent drainage. References gracile Gracility is s ...

'' Image:Anthurium.andraeanum1web.jpg, ''

'' Anthurium obtusum (habitus).jpg, '' Anthurium obtusum'' File:火鶴霹靂馬20190724201841.jpg, ''Anthurium andraeanum'' cv. Previa

References

External links

* {{Authority control Araceae genera