What type of Philodendron is this? I have had this pot plant for a very long time and I am unsure what type it is. You will see from the photos that it has a stem section which is completely round not "C" shaped. There appears to be a bulbous section just before the leaf. The leaves are very thick and rigid. The centre stem of the leaf is also round to a fine taper at the top. As you can see I need to re-pot it and I am unsure of how to safely do this without hurting the plant. I guess I need to know what type of mix to put it in and what to feed it. It is approaching winter here now so I thought this would be the best time to do it. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Andy
Harry, Thanks for the tip. I searched all over for your suggested Anthurium, I cannot find a match for it to my plant anywhere. Certainly all of the data I could see referred to the red blossom which I have never seen on my plant. It has a light brown appendage coming out laterally as seen in the photo, flower or seed pod. I seem to remember some tiny white flowers in that area in summer, it is now autumn. I think this really belongs in the Philodendron forum. Thanks Andy
We have a large Anthurium schlechtendalii subsp. schlechtendalii (you can google it and the first few images are from NYBG). We have one of these in our collection and although it looks similar, yours does not have as deep/protruding veins. I could be wrong it may be a philodendron, but I still think it is some sort of Anthurium. Also if you google - Anthurium schlechtendalii you will see a lot more pictures many also of the spadix. Good Luck and maybe others can shed some light.
I agree with Harry - it's a birdsnest Anthurium. The large bumps at the base of the leaves (the bumps are technically called geniculum) are a telltale for that genus - Philodendrons don't have them. Harry - looking more closely at A. schelechtendalii, I don't think that it's Andy's plant - the leaves on his are far less ornate and ruffled than most schlects. I'd be betting on A. cubense for the form of the leaves, the size of the geniculum, and the vein angles. Then again, without an inflorescence all of this is just educated guessing. Also: Exotic Rainforest is an excellent resource - here are links to a number of the birdsnest Anthurium species maintained in their collection. This is far from exhaustive, but these are the five species most likely to be in other peoples' collections. A. bonplandii A. cubense A. hookeri A. jenmanii A. schelectendalii
Lorax - looking at A cubense I believe you are correct, I didn't think it was A schelechtendalil (I forgot the key word NOT, when talking about the veins, in my previous post), but i couldn't put my finger on the species. So thank you!
thanks very much. Looking at the cubense link form lorax, I am certain you are correct. Wow you guys are good. I wonder how it got to Australia from Cuba ha ha The leaves are 3 feet long! Now how to repot it correctly? Anything I should be careful of? Andy
lorax I checked the cubense link against my plant and there are are two distinct things missing from mine to the article. "One very important method of determining the species Anthurium cubense is to count the primary lateral veins found on the leaf surface. According to a personal communication from Dr. Croat, Anthurium cubense possesses 6 to 11 primary lateral veins on each side of the leaf blade instead of the numerous lateral veins often seen in plants sold on internet websites incorrectly using the scientific name Anthurium cubense." My plant does not have any primary lateral veins on it, rather lots of fine veins laterally. If you zoom into my leaves they not the same as the cubense in the article, also, "Although some collectors try to call the petioles the "stems" the stem is truly the central axis that supports the plant and is found at the base of the plant. The petioles of Anthurium cubense are short as well as possess the shape of a "C" or a "D" if cut as a cross section." The petioles on mine are fully round not C or D shaped and feel solid. And: "Anthurium cubense possesses the additional unique feature of often having pubescence near the base. Pubescence is a scientific term that refers to a hair like feature" At the base of my plant there is grey coarse straw looking stuff not like the red pubescence as in the photo in the article. Having said all of that I believe we are very close! Andy
That's why I ought to have said "or one of the hybrids" - and I'm totally hopeless at IDing those. I used to have a big birdsnest Anthurium that we here at the Aroid forum figured had as one parent A. cubense, but we were never able to determine the other parent. I settled for knowing that it was Anthurium sect. Pachyneurium, because without doing DNA testing with reliable species to compare against, I was never going to know. This is the deep fun that is Aroids when you really get into them, particularly the birdsnests, which hybridize freely. This said, repotting will be the same as for any large aroid, and due to the size of the plant may take two people. Have your larger pot (make sure it's got drainage holes!) prepared with some aroid mix (50% peat or coir, 25% soil, 25% orchid bark, and a handful of charcoal), then gently tip the existing plant onto one side and ease the old pot off of it - this is where a second person comes in handy, one to hold the plant while you deal with the pot. Now settle the plant, rootball and all, into the new pot. DON'T TEASE THE ROOTS OPEN. Anthuriums (in my experience anyway) have quite fragile roots and don't respond well to having them messed with. Top off the pot with more aroid mix, and give it a good soaking until water runs out the drainage hole in the bottom. Best of luck!
Hello again. I just received a note from Aroid expert Leland Miyano, who has positively ID'd your plant - as it's one he grows himself.
Wow I am impressed. From Rio de Janeiro to a small town in Australia - some trip! I have re potted it in a much larger pot and fed it some "Aquasol" as winter approaches. It has greened up some and looks happy in it's new home. It now approaches five "feet" which we don't have any more since we went metric, but I think the plant doesn't care. I like it a lot and it is a keeper. Thanks all Andrew
Hi Friends My Anthurium seems to be acting a bid odd. I have attached a few pics for those interested. I should say that I have recently moved house from 30lkms inland out to within 1lkm from the beach. I have put the plant under a shade cloth while I am building a new fernery for it. My two 100yr old staghorns suffered a bit in moving but are now spouting new leafs. The Anthurium got a bit of blast of sea breeze before I put in under shade out of the wind. The soil has remained damp looking and we have had steady rain on and off since I moved. You will notice it now has three seed pod thingys instead of the one it had when I was inland. They seem to have grown out quickly in the last month = spring here now. But I am a bit concerned with the brown areas on a few of the leaves. If anyone can have a look at the new pics and give me an idea what is happening I would appreciate it. Thanks Andy
That looks like salt and sun burn, which is consistent with what's happened to the plant during the move. I wouldn't worry too much about it - the only effect is aesthetic.
Lorax Thanks for that, I guessed it was so and now it is happy under a shade cloth and out of the wind. Any problems with cutting away the affected leaves? It just seems a few outer ones. I cannot see any new leaves sprouting yet just the three (Spadix?) seed pods. As it is spring should I give it feed with something - like "Seasol"? Love that plant. Andy
No problems at all pruning off the affected leaves; if you've got three inflorescences coming you'll see new growth fairly soon. Certainly if it's flowering it's a happy plant. And by all means fertilize - the plant will love you for it. I'm not sure exactly what Seasol is - however if it's what I suspect (algae?) it's similar to what I use.
I have seen this sp. growing up high in a hollow tree getting half a day full sun , it was a massive specimen , and growing in a very old nursery in Maryborough , sub-tropical Queensland . This sp. sets seed fairly easily and is fairly common amongst Aroid nuts down-under .
