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

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

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

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of flowering plants, the largest genus of the arum

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

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 ...

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

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

to northern

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

and parts of the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

Description and biology

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

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 ...

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

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

bears small flowers which are perfect, 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, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also look ...

, a type of

bract In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also lo ...

. 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 fruit, stone or pit (fruit), pit although many wikt:pip#Etymology 2, pips or seeds may be p ...

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 kind of Horticulture, cultivated plant that people have selected for desired phenotypic trait, traits and which retains those traits when Plant propagation, propagated. Methods used to propagate cultivars include division, root a ...

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 or . It forms hydrates , where ''n'' varies from 1 to 3. Anhydrous and all hydrated forms are colorless or white. The monohydr ...

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

Cultivation

Like other aroids, many species of ''Anthurium'' plant can be grown as

houseplants A houseplant, also known as a pot plant, potted plant, or indoor plant, is an ornamental plant cultivated indoors. for aesthetic or practical purposes. These plants are commonly found in House, homes, Office, offices, and various indoor spaces, w ...

, 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 around tall and wide, ''A. crystallinum'' is an epiphytic perennial ev ...

'' and ''

Anthurium clarinervium ''Anthurium clarinervium'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Araceae native to Chiapas, Mexico. The '' Anthurium'' genus is known to contain approximately 1,000 species, resulting in one of the most diverse Central American tropical p ...

'' 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. It is a winner of the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Names Common names for plants in the genus ''Anthurium ...

'' 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 o ...

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

tissue culture Tissue culture is the growth of tissue (biology), tissues or cell (biology), 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-s ...

.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 Heinrich Wilhelm Schott (7 January 1794 – 5 March 1865) was an Austrian botanist. He is known for his extensive work on aroids ( Araceae). Biography Schott was born on 7 January 1794 in Brno, Moravia. He studied botany, agriculture and chemi ...

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: * '' Belolonchium'' * '' Calomystrium'' * '' Cardiolonchium'' * '' Chamaerepium'' * '' Cordatopunctatum'' * '' Dactylophyllium'' * '' Decurrentia'' * '' Digitinervium'' * '' Gymnopodium'' * '' Leptanthurium'' * '' Pachyneurium'' * '' Polyphyllium'' * '' Polyneurium'' * '' Porphyrochitonium'' * '' Schizoplacium'' * '' Semaeophyllium'' * '' Tetraspermium'' * '' Urospadix'' * '' Xialophyllium''

Gallery

File:Flamingo Flower Orchid.JPG, Flamingo Flower File:Anthuriumpolyschistumjuvenile-araceum1.jpg, '' Anthurium polyschistum'' Image:Anthurium digitatum0.jpg, '' Anthurium digitatum'' inflorescence File:Anthurium scandens berries.jpg, '' Anthurium scandens'' fruits and leaves File:Anthurium gracile.jpg, '' Anthurium gracile'' Image:Anthurium.andraeanum1web.jpg, ''

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

Toxicity

* All plants within the Anthurium genus are toxic to cats, dogs, and even horses. Each part of the plant, including the root, stems, leaves, flowers, and seeds, poses a risk of toxicity. The plant contains insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which can cause oral irritation, pain, swelling, excessive drooling, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing. Keeping these plants away from your pets (and equines) is the best way to prevent a medical emergency.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Araceae genera Constantly blooming plants