Hi, I'm very new to gardening and indoor plants. I bought this plant last year, because I thought it was a Janet Craig, which is said to purify the air. It started withering on me, and I looked into a little more and found out that it is not a Janet Craig at all. I tried to search for it w/o the name, but I really had little luck, the closest thing I found was an arthurium(?) I've changed the way I care for it, but this plant is still a lot worse off than it is in the pic. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks! Also, does anyone know the name of a good book about the basics, and I mean BASICS, about indoor plants, and plants one would put on a balcony? Eventually, I'd love to have a real garden, but I have to escape from the city first.
It is certainly an Anthurium but is likely a hybrid rather than a species. I'd guess a hybrid cultivar of Anthurium andreanum. Many sellers sell such hybrids, some called Anthurium 'obaki'. This one at least resembeles 'obaki'. Hybrids are "created" plants. A hybridizer finds a plant they like with a leaf they like. They then find another with a spathe (inflorescence, or "flower") they also like. They then take pollen from one and apply it to the spadix of the second. Sometimes they are capable of producing a new hybrid. This is done regularly in Hawaii. You can find hundreds of hybrids for sale on the net. Best bet is to photograph the "flower: when the plant produces one. Someone will likely be able to help you better then. By the way, that "flower" is not a flower. It is an inflorescence. The plant produces true flowers but they are tiny and grow on the spadix at the center of the inflorescence. You'll need a good magnifying glass to see one. In Anthurium sp. both male and female flowers are produced but are separated by a sterile zone to prevent self pollination. They are also produced at different times during the reproduction cycle. Many hybrids are sterile. As for books, might be one out there. Can't recommend any. I do my research on botanical sites such as TROPICOS, ePIC, or GRIN. But these are not always really basic.