Anthurium, also known as the flamingo flower, flamingo lily, boy flower, oilcloth flower or laceleaf, is an exotic-looking indoor plant with a red flower and large, glossy leaves. Its name is derived from two Greek words, anthos (flower) and oura (tail), hence another of its common names, tail flower.
Anthurium flowers are actually 'spathes' – brightly coloured leaves that attract insects in the wild. The flower is actually the central 'spadix', made up of lots of tiny blooms. The blooms appear intermittently throughout the year and last for between six to eight weeks, with a 'rest period' of up to three months in between.
There are over 1,000 varieties of anthurium available, but the most commonly found type is Anthurium andreanum, which has heart-shaped leaves and shiny flowers in a range of colours. These are most commonly red, pink or white, although you may also find shades of green, yellow, burgundy, lilac and even bi-coloured and spotted flowers. Anthurium scherzianum is similar, but has a curly centre and less glossy flowers, and is sometimes known as the pigtail plant. Some varieties, such as Anthurium clarinervium and Anthurium ellipticum 'Jungle King' are grown for their eye-catching and distinctive foliage.
In the wild, anthuriums grow in rainforests in South America and the Caribbean, where they are epiphytes, growing in the crevices of trees. You need to try and replicate this environment in your home by providing your plant with warmth, bright filtered light and plenty of humidity. This should keep it blooming regularly throughout the year.
Anthuriums are toxic and therefore harmful to humans and pets if ingested. Wear gloves when handling.
In the right care, anthurium can grow for up to 10 years, producing flowers each spring or summer. This article has useful information on achieving yearly blooms, along with tips on the correct way to water, fertilise and repot your anthurium.
How to care for an anthurium
Watering
The correct watering routine is essential to maintaining a healthy anthurium, as root rot is common if the soil is too moist. Always allow the top third of the soil to dry out between waterings, and water less in autumn and winter. Water with lukewarm water to prevent shock to the plant.
Light and location
Anthurium need plenty of indirect light, so do best on north-, north-east, or north-west facing windowsills. Never place an anthurium more than 1.5m from a window as this will be too shady for them. Wipe dust from the leaves regularly to ensure they receive as much light as possible.
Compost and fertilisers
Make a free-draining potting mix using peat-free, house plant compost mixed 50:50 with orchid bark. Then, apply a liquid house plant feed every third watering, all year round. If your anthurium hasn't grown much in the last year (either flowers or new leaves), use a foliar feed as well, alongside your usual feeding regime.
Temperature and humidity
Anthuriums require a warm room with plenty of humidity. Choose the warmest room of the house, ideally with temperatures higher than 18℃. Average household humidity levels (around 50 per cent) are just enough for anthuriums, but you may find they do better in a bathroom, which is naturally more humid. Alternatively, mist the leaves regularly or stand the pot on a tray of pebbles with water, to boost ambient humidity.
Pruning
Anthuriums are slow growing compared to others like the spider plant or monstera. With this in mind, pruning is rarely necessary and minimal – simply remove dying flowers and leaves. Always allow the yellowing leaf to become brown before pruning it off, as the anthurium may still be recycling nutrients from the leaf to promote growth elsewhere. Using a clean pair of scissors, prune the dying leaf around 2cm from the stem so you don't run the risk of damaging any new leaf nodes on the stem.
Staking
Anthurium rarely need staking unless they are becoming old and weak at the stem. In cases like this, a small cane will do the job, which you can tie the stem to loosely with string.
How to repot an anthurium
Anthuriums typically grow better in slightly potbound conditions. Repot every three years, in spring or summer, into a pot the next size up. For best results, repot when not in flower as the transplant shock may result in sudden flower loss.
The best potting mix to use for anthurium is a 50:50 mix of peat-free house plant compost and orchid bark.
- Water your anthurium around 12 hours before repotting to reduce the risk of transplant shock.
- Gently remove the plant from its pot and scan the rootball for brown, deflated roots that can easily be pulled away with your fingers. This is a sign of root rot – remove these and surrounding compost before repotting.
- Pour around 3cm of your hand blended compost mix into the pot, and sit the rootball on top.
- Once you're happy with the position of the rootball, fill around it with more compost and tap the side of the pot to remove air pockets.
- Wait 24 hours before you water your anthurium again, before relocating it back to its usual spot in your home.
How to propagate an anthurium
Propagating anthuriums is easy as they naturally develop small aerial roots along the stem as they grow.
The best time to take a cutting is in spring or early summer, while the plant is not producing flowers.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the stem around 10cm from the tip, ensuring the cutting has at least two leaves.
- Fill a 7cm pot with house plant compost, and push the cuttings into the compost, towards the edge of the pot.
- Water the compost every three days to maintain good soil moisture, and place the potted cutting on a sunless windowsill to grow. Once the cutting produces its third new leaf after being propagated (in around three months time), you can treat the plant like a mature specimen.
Common issues
Brown spots or patches on the leaves or leaf tips could have a number of causes – the air isn’t humid enough, or the leaves have been burnt by sunlight. It could also mean the plant is getting too much or too little water.
No flowers? It's normal for your plant to have a 'rest period' of a few months before flowering again. To keep your plant blooming, make sure it's getting plenty of bright light, warmth and humidity. Feed it regularly with a weak high potash feed.
Flowers changing colour? This is natural as they age, and some varieties are naturally bi-coloured. If the flowers emerge green, this could be due to lack of light. If they turn green, this could be due to lack of water or low temperatures.
Yellowing leaves is normal – this is just old foliage dying off. If the problem is widespread, it could be due to too much watering or feeding, or too much sunlight.
Fluffy white insects are mealybugs. Wipe them off with a damp cloth.
Fine webbing on stems and leaves could be spider mites. The upper surface of the leaf may be mottled, while mites and eggs can be seen with a magnifying glass on the undersides of leaves. Improve air circulation around the plant and boost humidity by misting or standing on a tray of moist pebbles.
Raised brown spots on the leaves could be scale insect. Wipe them off with a damp cloth or cotton bud that has been soaked in an insecticide that contains fatty acids or plant oils.
Roots growing upwards out of the pot are aerial roots, which the plant would use in the wild to cling to its host plant. You can cut these off if you find them unsightly (use them as root cuttings) or push them back into the compost.
Toxicity
Unfortunately, this plant is poisonous when ingested by humans and pets.
Advice on buying anthurium
- Make sure you have the right conditions for an anthurium – they do best in bright, indirect light, warm temperatures and high humidity
- Ensure your plant has green, shiny leaves, a colourful flower (spathe) and a fresh-looking centre (spadix) and no signs of pests and diseases
- You can buy anthuriums in flower at the garden centre – they may just be labelled by colour. The 'Champion' and 'Love' series are the most widely available, in a range of colours – but for the best choice of varieties, buy at a specialist house plant retailer or online
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Where to buy anthuriums online
- Primrose
- Crocus
- Thompson & Morgan
- Bakker
- Bloom Box Club
Varieties of anthurium to grow
Anthurium andraeanum 'Pink Champion' – china pink blooms. Part of the 'Champion' series, which is also available in red, white, coral and vanilla. Height x Spread: 50cm x 50cm
- Buy Anthurium andraeanum 'Pink Champion' from B&Q
Anthurium andraeanum 'Champion Zizou' - very unusual, ribbon-shaped lilac flowers. H x S: 40cm x 40cm
- Buy Anthurium andraeanum 'Champion Zizou' from Bloombox Club
Anthurium andraeanum 'Black Love' – unusual, dark burgundy flowers. H x S: 40cm x 40cm
- Buy Anthurium andraeanum 'Black Love' from Thompson & Morgan
Anthurium andraeanum 'Million Flowers' – a particularly free flowering variety, with red blooms. H x S: 40cm x 40cm
- Buy Anthurium andraeanum 'Million Flowers' from Crocus
Anthurium clarinervium – grown for its spectacular dark green leaves with prominent white veins and unusual pink flowers. H x S: 50cm x 50cm
- Buy Anthurium clarinervium from Happy Houseplants
Anthurium ellipticum 'Jungle King' – grown for its unusual, lush, paddle-shaped leaves. H x S: 90cm x 70cm
- Buy Anthurium ellipticum 'Jungle King' from Happy Houseplants
Frequently asked questions
How do you keep anthuriums blooming?
A bright, sunless windowsill will be the best way in which an anthurium can flower for long periods of time. Other tips to mention are only rehydrating the soil once the top third dries out, and using a foliar spray fertiliser to provide nutrients in the leaves.
Why are the leaves on my anthurium plant turning brown?
The most common reason for browning leaf tips is root rot, where the plant cannot sustain enough moisture from the damaged roots to keep the foliage looking healthy. Check the rootball for signs of rot and prune the dead roots with a clean pair of scissors before repotting back into the same container with fresh potting mix.