''Anthurium scherzerianum'', the flamingo flower or pigtail plant, is a species of '' Anthurium'' (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). Also ...

) native to

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

. It has gained 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 ...

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

as an ornamental houseplant, kept at or higher. It is naturally an

epiphyte An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another 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 epiphyt ...

, growing on trees in the rainforest. ''Anthurium scherzerianum'' typically reaches tall. Its most striking feature is its orange-red curly spadix. It produces shiny, lance-shaped leaves about long. Common pests include mealybugs,

aphids Aphids are small sap-sucking insects in the Taxonomic rank, family Aphididae. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white Eriosomatinae, woolly ...

, and soft scale. When growing indoors, it needs bright indirect sunlight for 10 to 12 hours a day depending on the season. If the light is not bright enough, the number of flowers (flower density) will be diminished greatly. While often grown as a houseplant, it may be grown outdoors in the US in USDA hardiness zones 11 and 12.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1746442 scherzerianum Endemic flora of Costa Rica House plants Plants described in 1857