Houseplant · Araceae
Anthurium
Anthurium andraeanum
Give it warmth, steady moisture, and humid air, and the anthurium holds its glossy spathes for months on end.
Bright indirect
65–85°F · 18–29°C
USDA 11–12
12–18 in · 30–46 cm
Overview
Native to the warm, dripping forests of Colombia and Ecuador, the anthurium grows there as an epiphyte, gripping the bark of trees instead of settling into soil. That habit explains nearly everything it asks for indoors: bright light kept off the leaves, air that stays moist, and a pot that lets water run straight through. It shares a family with the peace lily and philodendron, and with them the calcium oxalate that makes the whole group risky near pets.
What looks like the flower is something else. The waxy red, pink, orange, or white heart on display is a spathe, a single modified leaf, and the true flowers are the minute bumps crowded along the pale spadix that stands upright at its center. A thriving plant keeps unfurling fresh spathes through much of the year, the trait that earned it names like flamingo flower and painter's palette.
Easy it is not. The plant answers to a careful hand and resents being ignored, drooping in dry rooms and rotting in waterlogged pots. Pin down the light, the watering, and the humidity, though, and its leaves stay glossy and its spathes keep coming far longer than most houseplants manage.
Care
The short version: strong filtered light with no direct rays on the leaves, a mix that feels damp to the touch yet never sodden, warm rooms above 65°F (18°C), and thick humid air in the 60% to 80% band. A weekly feed through the growing months and a change of pot every two years keep the spathes glossy.
Light
Set it in bright, indirect light beside a window but off the sun's direct line. Direct rays scorch the broad leaves, and deep shade leaves you with foliage and no spathes, so a bright, filtered spot lands right in between.
Water
Water when the top inch of soil dries out, keeping the mix evenly moist all year, never baked dry and never standing in water. Overwatering is the fastest way to lose one, since sodden soil rots the roots. Rainwater or filtered water serves it better than hard tap water.
Soil
Root it in a light, peaty mix that drains freely, the airy blend its epiphytic roots are built for. Slightly acidic ground at a pH of 6.0 or just below suits it best, and free drainage is what holds root rot off.
Temperature
Hold it warm, between 65°F and 85°F (18°C to 29°C), and never let the air slip below 60°F (16°C) in winter. It has no patience for cold drafts or a chilly pane of glass.
Humidity
Here is the step most people skip. Anthurium craves high humidity, around 60% to 80%, well past what a heated room supplies, and dry air browns the leaf tips quickly. A pebble tray, a humidifier, or a steamy bathroom each lend a hand.
Feeding
From spring through summer, feed it weekly with a liquid fertilizer. A high-phosphorus formula draws out more spathes. Back off through the dim months as growth eases.
Pruning
Snip off spent blooms to coax the plant into making more, and wipe the broad, glossy leaves now and then so dust doesn't film them over. Wear gloves, since the sap can irritate skin.
Repotting
Move it on every two years into a slightly bigger pot. Fresh mix clears out the mineral salts that build from feeding, and it opens room for the roots before they begin to circle the pot.
Size & spacing
Indoors it keeps a compact frame, rising 12 to 18 inches (30 to 46 cm) tall and fanning out 9 to 12 inches (23 to 30 cm) wide. That trim size slots easily onto a shelf or tabletop.
Troubleshooting
Anthurium troubles read plainly once you know which part to study. The leaf tips betray dry air, missing spathes betray too little light, and the roots betray overwatering. Find the picture below that matches yours, then correct the condition driving it.
Slumped, yellowed blades above a soaked, heavy mix
Leaves going yellow and limp above mud that never dries usually means the roots beneath are failing. Overwatering and poor drainage sit behind it, and the roots turn brown and soft to the touch. Water less, lift the plant into a loose, fast-draining mix in a pot that drains, and cut away every rotted root.
Fix:
- Reduce watering and allow excess water to drain
- Repot into a light, well-drained mix, removing rotted roots
- Use a pot with drainage
Fine silk threads, tacky film, or pale cottony dots on the blades
The usual indoor sap-suckers find their way to anthuriums: aphids, spider mites, mealybugs, scale, whitefly, and thrips. Look for stippled blades, a sticky film, threads of fine webbing, or small cottony tufts tucked along the stems. Set an affected plant apart, wipe the bugs from the foliage, and treat it before they travel.
Fix:
- Inspect plants regularly and isolate affected plants
- Wipe leaves and remove pests
- Treat with appropriate control measures
Mottled spots, dark blight, or mushy rot marking the blades
Spotting and rotted patches spreading across the blades usually signal fungal or bacterial disease, which settles in where the air is still and the leaves stay wet. Loosen the air around the plant, move it into a light, fast-draining mix, and pull off the marked leaves.
Fix:
- Improve air circulation
- Use light, well-drained soil mixes
- Remove affected foliage
Plenty of leaves but few or no flowers
A plant pushing out broad green leaves yet no spathes is almost always starved of light. Set it where the light is bright but no direct sun lands on it, snip the faded spathes from the crown, and offer a high-phosphorus feed to draw new color out.
Fix:
- Move to a spot with bright, indirect light, out of direct sun
- Remove spent blooms
- Apply a high-phosphorus fertilizer to encourage flowering
Papery brown tips fringing the glossy green blades
When the glossy green blades crisp to brown only at their tips, the air is too dry, the usual gripe of an anthurium in a heated room. Lift the moisture around it and pull the pot back from vents and drafts, the gusts that parch the foliage and singe its edges.
Fix:
- Raise humidity around the plant
- Move away from drafts and dry-air locations such as heating vents
Whitened, crisped patches across sunstruck leaf surfaces
Pale, scorched blotches across a blade say it is catching direct sun, which anthurium leaves simply cannot withstand. Move it where the light is bright but filtered, and keep it away from drafts and bone-dry corners that deepen the burn.
Fix:
- Move out of direct sunlight to bright, indirect light
- Relocate away from drafts and very dry spots
Toxicity
Keep this one out of reach. Every part is laced with sharp insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, the same irritant running through the arum family, and a chew of any piece touches off burning and swelling inside the mouth. The sap can redden bare skin too, so glove up before you prune and set the plant well clear of pets and children.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Moderate
Bite into a glossy leaf and a cat feels the sting instantly: a burning mouth, a rush of drool, and paws batting at the face. Lips and tongue swell, vomiting follows, and swallowing turns hard.
Dogs Moderate
A dog responds in the same fashion after a chew, drooling heavily and turning away from its bowl. The mouth, tongue, and lips puff up and grow sore, and vomiting tends to come next.
Horses Moderate
On contact the crystals sting a horse's mouth, bringing pain, swelling, and a flood of drool that makes swallowing a struggle. A horse cannot vomit, so the trouble lingers in the mouth and throat.
Rabbits Toxic
Those same oxalate crystals scald a rabbit's tender mouth and gut, so set the plant far beyond reach and never let it nibble a single piece.
Livestock Toxic
A grazing animal that takes a bite of the foliage gets a mouthful of stinging crystals, with drooling, mouth pain, and a churning stomach to follow. Fence the plant away from where stock can graze.
Birds Toxic
A curious bird pecking at leaf or sap runs into the same irritant crystals, which inflame the mouth and crop. Keep it clear of any room where birds fly loose.
People Caution
No piece of an anthurium belongs in a mouth, and a bite sets off burning and swelling within it. The sap can leave bare skin red and itchy as well, so pull on gloves to handle it and keep children at a distance.
Sap and tissue contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals (raphides) that can cause skin/contact dermatitis; consider wearing gloves when handling or pruning
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Anthurium andraeanum is sold under a range of named cultivars, sorted for the most part by the color of the spathe. A handful listed by NC State Extension appear below.
'Acropolis'
A named cultivar of Anthurium andraeanum recorded by NC State Extension.
'Baron'
Another selection of A. andraeanum named on NC State Extension's cultivar list.
'Cheers'
An Anthurium andraeanum cultivar set down in NC State Extension's records.
'Florida'
A cultivar of A. andraeanum entered in the NC State Extension listings.
'Midori'
A named Anthurium andraeanum cultivar logged by NC State Extension.
'Rosee Choco'
Yet another A. andraeanum cultivar counted among NC State Extension's named selections.
How to propagate
Anthurium is increased by splitting an existing plant or rooting a cutting, each better taken from an established specimen than a young one.
DivisionModerate
Best done at repotting (every 2 years) · Unknown
The easiest way to raise more anthuriums is to divide a mature plant as you repot it, which falls roughly every two years. Pull the clump gently apart so every section holds its own roots, then settle the divisions into separate pots.
Stem cuttingsModerate
During active growth · Unknown
Rooting a stem cutting taken while the plant is in active growth is another route. NC State Extension names it next to seed for propagating anthurium, though a cutting is the more workable choice at home.
Myths
The waxy red heart at an anthurium's center is a true bloom.
That waxy heart of red, pink, orange, or white is a spathe, a modified leaf and not a bloom at all. The true flowers are the tiny bumps studding the spadix, the pale white or cream column that rises straight from the center of the spathe.