Houseplant · Araceae
Anthurium
Anthurium andraeanum
Hand it warmth, steady moisture, and humid air, and the anthurium will keep those glossy spathes coming for months.
Bright indirect
65–85°F · 18–29°C
USDA 11–12
12–18 in · 30–46 cm
Overview
Anthurium hails from the warm, soggy forests of Colombia and Ecuador, where it lives as an epiphyte, gripping tree branches instead of sinking roots into the ground. That background pretty much spells out what it's after indoors: light that's bright but filtered, air that doesn't dry out, and a pot that drains in a hurry. It shares a family with the peace lily and philodendron, and it packs the same calcium oxalate that makes those two a worry around pets.
Here's the thing: what folks call the flower isn't really one. That waxy red, pink, orange, or white heart is a spathe, basically a modified leaf, and the actual flowers are the tiny bumps crowded onto the pale spadix poking up from it. When a plant's content, it just keeps cranking out fresh spathes for a good chunk of the year, which is how it picked up names like flamingo flower and painter's palette.
Don't expect this one to be beginner-friendly. It pays back a careful, consistent hand and sulks when you slack off, drying up in parched rooms and rotting in waterlogged pots. Nail the light, water, and humidity, though, and it'll stay glossy and in bloom way longer than most houseplants do.
Care
The short version: bright indirect light, soil that's kept evenly moist but never soggy, warmth above 65°F (18°C), and humid air around 60% to 80%. Feed it weekly through spring and summer, and repot every couple of years.
Light
Set it in bright, indirect light near a window but out of the sun's direct line. Direct rays will scorch the leaves, and deep shade leaves you with foliage and zero flowers, so bright and filtered is the spot you're after.
Water
Water once the top inch of soil dries out, keeping the mix evenly moist all year, and never let it go bone-dry or sit in a puddle. Overwatering is the fastest way to lose one, because soggy soil rots the roots. Rainwater or filtered water sits better with it than hard tap water does.
Soil
Pot it in a light, peaty mix that drains freely, the airy sort of blend its epiphytic roots are used to. A slightly acidic soil at a pH of 6.0 or just below suits it best, and good drainage is what holds root rot off.
Temperature
Keep things warm, between 65°F and 85°F (18°C to 29°C), and don't let it dip under 60°F (16°C) in winter. It really can't cope with cold drafts or a chilly windowsill.
Humidity
This is where a lot of people slip up. Anthurium likes high humidity, around 60% to 80%, way more than a typical heated room gives it, and dry air browns those leaf tips quick. A pebble tray, a humidifier, or a steamy bathroom will all do the trick.
Feeding
All through spring and summer, give it a weekly liquid fertilizer. Reach for a high-phosphorus formula and you'll get more blooms. Back off during the darker months, when growth slows right down.
Pruning
Trim away spent blooms to coax the plant into making more, and give the wide leaves a wipe every so often so dust doesn't dull their shine. Wear gloves, since the sap can irritate skin.
Repotting
Move it into a slightly bigger pot every two years. Fresh mix clears out the mineral salts that pile up from feeding, and it hands the roots some room before they start circling the pot.
Size & spacing
Indoors it keeps things compact, growing 12 to 18 inches (30 to 46 cm) tall and spreading 9 to 12 inches (23 to 30 cm) across. That tidy size makes it a breeze to fit on a shelf or tabletop.
Troubleshooting
Anthurium problems are pretty easy to read once you know where to look. Dry air turns up on the leaf tips, not enough light shows in the missing blooms, and overwatering hits the roots. Find what matches what you're seeing below, then sort out the condition driving it.
Leaves turning yellow and limp in soil that stays wet
Soil that won't dry out plus yellow, drooping leaves usually means the roots are rotting away. The culprit is overwatering and poor drainage, and below the surface those roots go brown and mushy. Dial back the water, move it into a light, fast-draining mix in a pot that has drainage holes, and snip off whatever's rotted.
Fix:
- Reduce watering and allow excess water to drain
- Repot into a light, well-drained mix, removing rotted roots
- Use a pot with drainage
Gooey film, tiny webs, or cotton-like bits on the leaves
Anthuriums attract the usual indoor sap-suckers: aphids, spider mites, mealybugs, scale, whitefly, and thrips. Keep an eye out for speckled leaves, sticky residue, fine webbing, or those little cottony tufts. If you spot trouble, move the plant away from the others, wipe the bugs off the leaves, and treat it before they hop to your other plants.
Fix:
- Inspect plants regularly and isolate affected plants
- Wipe leaves and remove pests
- Treat with appropriate control measures
Spotty, blotchy, or rotting areas showing up on the leaves
Spots and rotting patches on the leaves are usually a sign of fungal or bacterial disease, the kind that settles in when air is stagnant and things stay too wet. Get some air moving around the plant, swap in a light, well-drained mix, and pull off the leaves that are already affected.
Fix:
- Improve air circulation
- Use light, well-drained soil mixes
- Remove affected foliage
Plenty of leaves but few or no flowers
Got loads of leaves and barely a flower? Nine times out of ten that's an anthurium that's not getting enough light. Shift it to a bright corner that stays out of direct sun, snip off any tired spathes, and offer a high-phosphorus feed to get new blooms moving.
Fix:
- Move to a spot with bright, indirect light, out of direct sun
- Remove spent blooms
- Apply a high-phosphorus fertilizer to encourage flowering
Leaf tips going brown and crunchy while the rest stays green
Crispy brown tips on leaves that are otherwise green? That's dry air talking, and it's the gripe you'll hear most in a heated room. Bump up the humidity nearby and shift the plant away from heating vents and drafts, since both dry out the foliage and burn the edges.
Fix:
- Raise humidity around the plant
- Move away from drafts and dry-air locations such as heating vents
Washed-out burnt spots where the sunlight lands
Faded, burned-looking patches are a sign the plant is sitting in direct sun, which anthurium leaves just can't handle. Move it to a spot with bright but filtered light, and keep it well away from drafts and bone-dry corners that only make the burning worse.
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 loaded with sharp insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, the same irritant that runs through the whole arum family, and a chew of any of it kicks off burning and swelling in the mouth. The sap can bother bare skin too, so glove up when you prune and keep the plant well clear of pets and kids.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Moderate
Bite into a leaf and a cat knows right away, with a burning mouth, lots of drooling, and pawing at the face. You'll often see the lips and tongue puff up, vomiting, and a hard time swallowing.
Dogs Moderate
Dogs go through the same thing, drooling heavily and turning down food after a chew. Their mouth, tongue, and lips swell up and get sore, and vomiting usually comes next.
Horses Moderate
Those crystals sting a horse's mouth the moment they touch it, bringing pain, swelling, and so much drooling that swallowing gets hard. Since horses can't vomit, the misery stays parked in the mouth and throat.
Rabbits Toxic
Those same oxalate crystals scorch a rabbit's tender mouth and gut, so keep the plant well out of reach and don't ever let it nibble any part of it.
Livestock Toxic
Grazing animals that take a bite of the leaves end up with a mouthful of stinging crystals, which brings drooling, mouth pain, and an upset stomach. Fence the plant off anywhere stock can get to it.
Birds Toxic
A nosy bird that pecks at the leaves or sap runs into those same irritant crystals, which inflame the mouth and crop. Safest bet is to keep it out of any room where birds fly loose.
People Caution
No part of an anthurium is food, and a bite sets off burning and swelling in the mouth. The sap can leave skin red and itchy as well, so wear gloves when you handle it and keep kids away.
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 shows up in a bunch of named cultivars, mostly grouped by spathe color. Here are a few that NC State Extension lists.
'Acropolis'
A named Anthurium andraeanum cultivar that NC State Extension recognizes.
'Baron'
Another A. andraeanum pick that turns up on NC State Extension's named cultivar list.
'Cheers'
An Anthurium andraeanum cultivar that NC State Extension has on record.
'Florida'
One you'll spot among NC State Extension's recorded A. andraeanum cultivars.
'Midori'
NC State Extension keeps this one in its catalogue of named Anthurium andraeanum cultivars.
'Rosee Choco'
Yet another A. andraeanum cultivar among the named selections NC State Extension lists.
How to propagate
You can multiply anthurium by splitting an existing plant or rooting a cutting, and both go better on an established specimen than on a young one.
DivisionModerate
Best done at repotting (every 2 years) · Unknown
Want more anthuriums? The easiest route is to divide a mature plant at repotting time, which lands at roughly every two years. Gently pull the clump apart so every piece holds onto its own roots, then pot each division on its own.
Stem cuttingsModerate
During active growth · Unknown
Rooting a stem cutting taken while the plant is growing actively is another option. NC State Extension lists this method right next to seed for propagating anthurium, though at home a cutting tends to be the easier way to go.
Myths
That bright red part of an anthurium is the flower.
That shiny red, pink, orange, or white heart is actually a spathe, a modified leaf and not a bloom at all. The true flowers are the little bumps packed onto the spadix, the pale white or cream column rising from the middle of the spathe.