''Anthurium andraeanum'' is a

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...

species in the family

Araceae The Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe (or leaf-like bract). ...

that is native to Colombia and

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> A winner of the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (No ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

, it is one of the plants listed in the NASA Clean Air StudyPlants "Clean" Air Inside Our Homes (kilde NASA)
/ref>, (alternate link for 'Foliage Plants for Removing Indoor Air Pollutants from Energy-efficient Homes') as effective in removing

formaldehyde Formaldehyde ( , ) ( systematic name methanal) is a naturally occurring organic compound with the formula and structure . The pure compound is a pungent, colourless gas that polymerises spontaneously into paraformaldehyde (refer to section ...

xylene In organic chemistry, xylene or xylol (; IUPAC name: dimethylbenzene) are any of three organic compounds with the formula . They are derived from the substitution of two hydrogen atoms with methyl groups in a benzene ring; which hydrogens are sub ...

toluene Toluene (), also known as toluol (), is a substituted aromatic hydrocarbon. It is a colorless, water-insoluble liquid with the smell associated with paint thinners. It is a mono-substituted benzene derivative, consisting of a methyl group (CH3) ...

, and

ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinct pungent smell. Biologically, it is a common nitrogeno ...

from the air.

Names

Common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contra ...

s for plants in the genus '' Anthurium'' include flamingo flower, tailflower, painter's palette, oilcloth flower, and laceleaf.''Anthurium'' spp.
Poisonous Plants of North Carolina. North Carolina State University. Its name comes from the Greek words ''anthos'', meaning flower, and ''oura'', meaning a tail, referring to the spadix.Andraeanum." Missouri Botanical Garden
/ref>

Description

It is a monocotyledonous

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

, preferring warm, shady and humid climates, such as tropical rainforests. Its most characteristic feature as an

ornamental Ornamental may refer to: *Ornamental grass, a type of grass grown as a decoration *Ornamental iron, mild steel that has been formed into decorative shapes, similar to wrought iron work *Ornamental plant, a plant that is grown for its ornamental qua ...

is its brightly colored spathe leaf, and the protruding

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 ...

called the spadix.Collette VE, Jameson PE, Schwinn KE, Umaharan P, Davies KM (2004) Temporal and spatial expression of flavonoid biosynthetic genes in flowers of Anthurium andraeanum. Physiol Plant 122:297–304. doi:10.1111/j.1399-3054.2004.00402.x It is a short erected plant with whole, cardioid or heart-shaped leaves, generally reflexed, cordate base, apex acuminate or cuspid, which are borne by a cylindrical petiole 30–40 cm long. The spathe is cartilage-waxy, brightly coloured (red, pink) and 8–15 cm long, excluding the

(the spadix), which is 7–9 cm long, similar to a candle-holder, white or yellow in colour, is erected, and bears many small hermaphroditic flowers. These include a perianth with four segments and stamens with a compressed mesh. Flowering extends throughout the year.Govaerts, R. & Frodin, D.G. (2002). World Checklist and Bibliography of Araceae (and Acoraceae): 1–560. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The fruit is a fleshy

berry 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, rasp ...

Distribution

Native to Ecuador and southwestern Colombia, it is also naturalised in other parts of the world. It is found in the Caribbean and

Réunion Réunion (; french: La Réunion, ; previously ''Île Bourbon''; rcf, label= Reunionese Creole, La Rényon) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas department and region of France. It is located approximately east of the island ...

. It is grown as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that ...

in the form of many hybrids or horticultural varieties. It is commonly used to make bouquets.

Toxicity

The whole plant is

toxic Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subs ...

. It contains saponins and crystals of

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 ...

, in fine needles, able to penetrate the

mucous membrane A mucous membrane or mucosa is a membrane that lines various cavities in the body of an organism and covers the surface of internal organs. It consists of one or more layers of epithelial cells overlying a layer of loose connective tissue. It i ...

s and provokes painful irritations. It is toxic to all mammals: a mouth-worn fragment can cause severe irritation of the mouth and throat. Contact with a human causes erythema, blisters, and if ingested, salivation, difficulty in swallowing and vomiting.Jacques Fournet, Flora illustrated the flowering of Guadeloupe and Martinique , Gondwana editions, CIRAD2002 Volume 1 ( ) ; Volume 2 ( )

Gallery

Anthurium at lalbagh 7096.JPG File:Aanthurium.JPG File:Anthurium soft white-yercaud-salem-India.JPG File:ანთურიუმი Anthurium Hybr. Flamingoblume.JPG File:火鶴霹靂馬20190724201841.jpg, cv. 'Previa'

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2452846 andraeanum Flora of Ecuador Flora of Colombia Plants described in 1877 Taxa named by Édouard André Taxa named by Jean Jules Linden