Flamingo plant

Appearance

Anthurium scherzerianum has spreading, oblong to elliptic, leathery leaves, up to 25 cm long and 8 cm wide. The leaf blades are held on a petiole (leaf stalk) up to 20 cm long. Both sides of the leaf blade are dotted with minute dark glands. The large, showy spathe (8 to 10 cm long) is scarlet to orange-red and broadly oval. The orange-red spadix is usually coiled upward and may be up to 8 cm long. Euglossine bees are possible pollinators. The fruits are orange to red.

Naming

Varieties
Anthurium scherzerianum var. albo-punctatum
Anthurium scherzerianum var. albo-striatum
Anthurium scherzerianum var. atrosanguineum hort.
Anthurium scherzerianum var. aurorae hort.
Anthurium scherzerianum var. bruxellense
Anthurium scherzerianum var. carnotianum
Anthurium scherzerianum var. eburneum
Anthurium scherzerianum var. foliatum
Anthurium scherzerianum var. gallicum
Anthurium scherzerianum var. gandavense
Anthurium scherzerianum var. giganteum
Anthurium scherzerianum var. minutepunctatum
Anthurium scherzerianum var. peetersianum
Anthurium scherzerianum var. rodigasianum
Anthurium scherzerianum var. rotundispathaceum
Anthurium scherzerianum var. stipitatum
Anthurium scherzerianum var. vallerandiae
Anthurium scherzerianum var. viridescens
Anthurium scherzerianum var. viridimaculata
Anthurium scherzerianum var. williamsii

Distribution

This species is found in Costa Rica at elevations of 1,300 to 2,100 m. It occurs in montane rainforest on the Atlantic slope of the Cordillera Central and the Cordillera de Talamanca.

Habitat

Montane rainforest. This species is epiphytic (growing on trees) or terrestrial (growing on the ground).

Uses

Anthuriums became fashionable as house plants during the nineteenth century. They are prized for their showy appearance and the longevity of cut stalks in water, which may last up to eight weeks. Numerous hybrids and cultivars of Anthurium scherzerianum have been developed for both these characteristics.

The popularity of anthuriums as ornamentals led to a rapid rise in their value in the horticulture and cut-flower industries. Anthuriums were historically grown in the shade of cocoa and citrus in producing regions such as Trinidad and Tobago. Today, plants are grown intensively under cover and are often multiplied using micropropagation techniques. The inflorescences are graded for the cut flower industry according to the width of the spathe.

Some species of Anthurium are used traditionally in medicine or to perfume tobacco.