Anthurium – Today it Is One of Hawaii’s Signature Flowers
Scientific Classification & Quick Facts
| Common name | Anthurium |
| Scientific name | Anthurium |
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Phylum | Tracheophyta |
| Class | Liliopsida |
| Order | Alismatales |
| Family | Araceae |
| Type | Flowering plant; about 1000 species |
| Habitat | Often grows on other plants; warm, indirect light |
| Native range | Americas, northern Mexico to northern Argentina |
| Flowering season | Spring to end of summer |
| Special feature | Cut flowers last four to six weeks |
Anthurium is a genus consisting of around 1000 species of flowering plants; it is the largest genus of the arum family, Araceae. Anthurium, flamingo, tail flower, and loose-leaf are the usual names by which people know them. This genus inhabits the Americas and spreads along North Mexico to Northern Argentina and all along the Caribbean.
In 1889, Samuel Damon, a Hawaii resident, brought Anthuriums from Colombia through London to Hawaii. Today the Anthurium is one of Hawaii’s signature flowers.
Anatomy
Anthurium is a genus of herbaceous plants often growing as a non-parasitic epiphyte on other plants. Few grow on the ground and the leaves vary in shape and frequently group together. The flower comprises of a group of little flowers with a perfect combination of female and male structures. The thick spirals on the spadix accommodate the blooms. The spadix is generally lengthy and found shaped not only as spikes, but also in club and globe shape. Below the spadix we find the sheathing bract. This also varies in shape, but in most of the species, it takes a lance shape. It lengthens in the form a curve or it flattens out. Occasionally you find a form of a hood covering the spadix. The fruit grows on the spadix from the flowers. They vary in color and the berries are juicy with normally two seeds embedded in them.
How to Cultivate Domestically
Preparation for Planting
Photo by: Guilherme Jofili
Maintain your Anthurium in a warm temperature of 78° to 90°F at day. At night a temperature of 70-75°F is fine. For proper Anthurium flower care, permit, sufficient indirect light indoors. Keep your Anthurium plant away from direct sunlight. If the light is insufficient the growth of the plant becomes stunted and it may stop flowering. In case you see an Anthurium with stretching long leaves, it indicates insufficient light. Use a mild fertilizer solution thinned to ¼ of its strength. Indoor plant pests show an attraction to Anthurium; hence observe them carefully. In case you observe any pest, treat the plant immediately. Inspect the soil frequently to ensure proper drainage. The plant can easily contract diseases if the soil is humid; however a properly drained soil frees it from this problem.
Planting
Be certain that the soil round the Anthuriums has organic material and has a proper drainage. If required, mix one part perlite, one part peat moss and one part pine bark in a bucket and add it to the soil. Fill the prepared mixture with the soil in pots and plant your Anthurium in them. In the case of outdoor plants, remove the plant gently from the pot using a garden spade and put a 2-3 inch layer of the constituents into the base of the hole and plant your Anthurium into the hole and cover the roots with soil. Further place mulch to a thickness of two to three inches right round the bottom of your outdoor Anthurium plant; this mulch conserves moisture in the roots of the plant. Use a 3:1:2 liquid plant fertilizer monthly once for your red Anthurium.
Placement and Watering
Whether outdoor or indoors, keep your Anthurium plants in such a place where it can get sufficient indirect sunlight. Water your Anthurium to a minimum of weekly, twice or when you observe the top soil dry. Never allow your soil to completely dry since this will hurt the plant. Also, never permit the soil to soak in water, this is also dangerous to the plant.
Flowering Period
The blossoming period extends from spring to end of summer. It is a pity, that anthuriums do not grow easily except, that the most common ones tolerate the ordinary room condition to a certain limit.
After Bloom Care
Once blooming is over eliminate the withered flowers by shearing the whole stalk with a hand pruner at the bottom of the plant. Since Anthuriums do not rebloom on the same stalk, eliminating it transmits the plant’s energy into the newly growing stalks.
As Cut Flowers
Photo by: Forest & Kim Starr
Anthurium flowers stay on the plant for many weeks before fading away and dropping on the ground. As cut flowers, they live long, and lasts for four to six weeks, in water they last for around 45 days.
Anthurium FAQs
Where do anthuriums come from?
Anthuriums are native to the Americas, from northern Mexico down to northern Argentina and across the Caribbean. They arrived in Hawaii in 1889 and are now one of its signature flowers.
How much light does an anthurium need?
Anthuriums need plenty of indirect light and should be kept out of direct sun. With too little light, they grow stunted and may stop flowering.
How often should you water an anthurium?
Water at least once or twice a week, or when the top soil feels dry. Never let the soil dry out completely or sit in water.
When do anthuriums bloom?
They bloom from spring to the end of summer. The flowers stay on the plant for many weeks.
How long do anthurium cut flowers last?
Anthurium cut flowers last a long time, about four to six weeks in water.
Randi Jones is the owner and founder of the Nature Gift Store, an online retailer specializing in nature-themed gifts, educational science projects, live animal nature kits and real butterfly artwork. A biology graduate who fell in love with insects, she founded the company in 2001 to make active learning about nature fun, accessible and engaging for children and adults. Her store offers real butterfly frames, home and garden decor and educational live animal kits, including ant farms, worm farms, tadpoles, ladybugs and hermit crabs, and she runs a bug museum in Washington featuring live animals like Eddie the Iguana alongside other reptiles and insects.
