Anthurium

Where it grows

Anthurium andraeanum grows wild in cloud forests of the western Andes in Colombia and Ecuador. Commercial production for the cut-flower market is centred in the Netherlands, Hawaii, and Mauritius, where the durable, long-stemmed blooms ship globally as one of the most reliable florist tropicals.

How to recognise it

A clump-forming evergreen perennial with thick, heart-shaped dark green leaves on long stalks. The flower is actually two parts: a brightly coloured, waxy heart-shaped spathe — often mistaken for the flower itself — and a finger-like spadix protruding from its base. The real flowers are tiny, packed onto the spadix.

Garden & cultural uses

A single anthurium bloom can hold its appearance for six to eight weeks in the vase, the longest of any common cut flower. Modern breeding has produced colours from black to obsidian green and miniature varieties for tabletop pots. Other Anthurium species are grown for their dramatic foliage rather than their blooms.

In symbolism

Hawaiian culture associates anthurium with hospitality, and it became a popular wedding flower for its long-lasting blooms and the heart shape of the spathe.