Anthurium

A. andreanum (tail flower)
A. scherzerianum (flamingo flower, pigtail plant)

The exotic anthuriums from South America grow all year round in a warm greenhouse and produce a steady succession of blooms. The waxy, heart-shaped flower is not truly a flower, but a leaf-like structure called a spathe. This spathe comes in orange, pink, red or white and from it protrudes the columnar structure known as the spadix, which bears the true flowers. The bracts, if they are not cut, may last a month; as cut flowers they are also long lasting, remaining beautiful for two or three weeks. The tailflower is a Columbian species. The smaller flamingo flower is from Costa Rica.

TEMPERATURES
Night temperatures between 60 and 65oF , day temperatures of 68oF or higher are best and a relative humidity of 45 to 60%.

LIGHT
Anthuriums need bright light, but shielded from direct sun.

FERTILIZER
Feed plants every other week with high nitrogen fertilizer such as one labeled 20-10-10 diluted to half strength recommended on the label.

RE-POTTING
A good soil medium for anthuriums is two parts fir bark to one part coarse peat moss; like orchids, the spongy-rooted anthuriums will rot if planted in ordinary soil. As the roots push up through the top of the planting medium, cover them with moist sphagnum moss. Re-pot to larger containers in the spring every two or three years.