Often in offices, restaurants, apartments and other institutions you can find a plant that catches the eye with its fiery red flowers, which stand out against the background of varnished saturated green leaves. Its appearance has long won the hearts of designers, photographers and other representatives of the art sphere, not to mention housewives who care about the unsurpassed interior of their homes. We are talking about Anthurium Andre, a bright representative of the Aroid family. Read more about the features, preferences and methods of care for this scarlet flower, read on.
Botanical description of the plant
Anthurium belongs to the perennial evergreen cultures that migrated to us from the South American tropics. In the Aroid family, there are from 500 to 900 representatives, most of which are epiphytes, that is, plants similar to creepers, for the reason that their aerial roots hang down.
Andre differs from other members of the family by leaves, the outlines of which resemble a heart, or have an oval-lanceolate shape, and their length reaches 30 cm. Such peculiar leafy hearts are painted in saturated green color. Lovers of chic and gloss can choose a flowerpot with glossy leaves, and supporters of the classics with matte ones.Did you know? People call the culture a flamingo flower.
But, the main advantage of Anthurium, its flowers are rightfully considered, or rather their covers. Often, people do not believe that in front of them is a living plant until they try to touch, because both its leaves and flowers are so elegant that they seem to be poured out of wax. The original flower itself has a conical shape (there are also club-shaped, spiral-shaped variants) and light green or yellow color.
An inflorescence is surrounded by a heart-like bright veil that can please the eye with bright red, pink, white, yellow, maroon, and even green shades. But, the most popular are the owners of red floral bedspreads. The lacquered surface may have a slightly bubbly or wrinkled structure.
In addition to the unique look, Andre flowers also have a seductive aroma. But, sometimes it can have fetid notes. If you provide your tropical plant with enough sunlight, it will delight you with its crystal flowers year-round. The duration of flowering of one flower is approximately one and a half months. Bright flowers and bouquets can be formed from cut flowers.
Did you know? Breeders have already managed to bring out anthurium, even with a black color of flower covers. You can also purchase a flowerpot, the flowers of which will be painted in 2 shades.
Anthurium even bears fruit. For this, pollination is necessary. The fact that the fruits are ripe, says their yellow or orange color. Each fruit contains 2 seeds.
| Root system | aerial |
| Stem | average length - 35 cm (maximum -1 m); shortened; thickness about 2 cm in diameter; dark green color |
| Leaf shape | oval-lanceolate, or heart-like |
| Leaf color | dark green saturated |
| Flower shape | same as leaf shape |
| Flower color | burgundy, red, pink, yellow, green shades |
| Fruit shape | rounded |
| Fruit color | possible variations of yellow, orange, pale pink, red, etc. |
| Fruit flavor | sweetish |
Varieties
The species-rich genus Aroid is striking in its diversity.
Did you know? It is customary to give a plant to men, because it symbolizes the masculine principle, passion, love, male happiness.
A small list of the most prominent representatives of the variety Arthurium Andre:
- Arthurium Scherzer among his "relatives" is considered a dwarf. The length of the Shertserov stem is only 15 cm, the thickness is 2 cm in diameter. Its peduncle can reach a length of 50 cm. It attracts attention with its original form of inflorescence: it resembles a spiral painted in a reddish-orange hue. The length of the spiral is 8 cm. It differs from Andre in the bright orange color of the bedspread, as well as the sharpened shape of the leaves, which seem to be turned inside out. The length of the leaf varies within 26 cm, and the width is 6 cm. The color, as in Andre, is saturated green. The plant surprises with the simultaneous blooming of at least 8 flowers, and this extravaganza lasts up to 3 months. Now you can buy Scherzer with a pink, red, green shade of the bedspread, as well as a variety, the bed of which is dotted with two-color dots.
- Anthurium Crystal is a decorative leafy crop. Impressive are its huge velvet heart-shaped leaves, saturated green, which cut through contrasting silver streaks. With age, the color of leaves changes, starting with bronze-purple hues, and ending with dark green. Compared to the large size of the leaves, Crystal flowers can be described as inconspicuous, because they are too small - only 10 cm in length. But, but their covers are originally painted - they are purple.
- The closest relative of Crystal variety is Great. It differs only in that its foliage is crossed not by silver, but by white veins. And the flowers acquire a light green or purple color.
- Anthurium Andrianum Mix - A representative of the species that most resembles its wild "relatives". The carrier of bright red inflorescences that delight the look year-round.
- Family of the Black Prince and the Black Queen - are considered chameleon varieties: the color of the bedspreads changes, starting with red and ending with brown-chocolate, almost black.
- The giants in the couple of these cultures can be considered representatives Varieties Baby Boomer. Their growth reaches 90 cm. And large bright red inflorescences against a background of glossy green leaves can not leave indifferent any connoisseur of beauty. True, flowering lasts only from June to September.
House growing conditions
The splendor of this plant can give rise to fear and thoughts that caring for it can be as difficult as a flowerpot. But, this is not so. Caring for him is relatively easy.
Important! In a home environment, it is best to grow hybrid varieties of Anthurium.
Lighting
Although the culture is considered shade-tolerant, for proper growth and flowering you will need a sufficient amount of diffused sunlight, but not direct sunlight. The most comfortable in the western and eastern parts of the house or apartment, but not northern.
Temperature
The flower migrated to us from the tropics, and, accordingly, it belongs to heat-loving plants. So, in winter, you need to make sure that the temperature in the room where it stands was not lower than + 16 ° C, the optimal temperature option for summer time is + 28 ° C.
Important! A tropical plant is afraid of drafts. Also, the neighborhood of batteries and heaters is not welcome in winter.
Air humidity
The natural habitat of the culture is conditions of high humidity. Therefore, in the room you need to create something similar. Anthurium welcomes the neighborhood with humidifiers, which can be either purchased in special stores or made independently. For example, cover the bottom of the tray on which the flowerpot is placed with moistened expanded clay or sand.
Near the stems, you can put a little wet sphagnum moss, which will nourish the aerial roots and stimulate their growth. The air around such a tropical inhabitant needs to be sprayed daily, but do so so that water does not fall on the leaves and flowers, as spots form on them.
Anthurium prefers bathing procedures, during which its greens will be cleaned of dust, but after that, moisture must be removed from the leaves using paper towels. It is not recommended to soak the flowers, they are simply wiped if necessary.
Home Care
It consists in proper watering, top dressing, pruning and transplanting. Details for each item.
Important! Make sure that the soil under the flowerpot does not dry out (the maximum allowable drying is 1-2 cm) and does not get too wet. If excess liquid remains in the pan after the watering procedure, it must be removed.
Watering
The plant needs to be provided with regular watering, with interruptions of 3-4 days in the summer and 7 days in the winter. For this purpose, you need to take warm water (+20 ... + 22 ° C), because the culture is afraid of cold liquid. The yellow leaves of the culture indicate that the water used for irrigation contained lime. And this adversely affects the plant, because it prefers acidic substrates.
Given this feature, it is effective to dissolve a few drops of lemon juice or acetic acid in water for irrigation. Water the culture in the usual way: pour water under the stems below. But, it is also worth taking care of the nutrition of hanging roots: they must be sprayed with a spray gun.
Top dressing
In winter, when the culture is resting, it is not necessary to fertilize it. But, with the onset of spring and until December, your pot will need to be fed every 2 weeks. You need to use fertilizers for plants that bloom, nutritious additives for orchids are also suitable. It is important that such additives contain organic and mineral components.
Pruning
In order to rejuvenate the culture, it can be cut off. Most often, the top is cut off with several aerial roots and placed in a new container with a substrate. Pruning is carried out in the case when you need to take the cuttings of the plant. You can also prune wilted flowers, the stems of which have acquired a brown hue, and the cover has turned green.
Important! The plant will inform about the need for anti-aging procedures with its appearance: its lower leaves begin to die, and a very unattractive trunk will become visible. The remaining foliage and flowers become small. Often the flowerpot ceases to bloom at all.
Transfer
The frequency and need for transplantation of Anthurium depends on its age. So, young crops (up to 5 years old) need an annual transplant, and older plants need to be replanted with an interval of 2 years. Carry out this process exclusively in the spring.
When starting a transplant, you need to take care of the soil and capacity. So, the pot should be shallow and wide, with good drainage. The small size of the tank will stimulate the plant to abundant flowering. The soil for Anthurium must be breathable.
This consistency can be achieved by using coarse fractions that consist of:
- charcoal;
- cones;
- moss;
- broken brick (about 10-15% of the total amount of substrate).
The main part of the soil should be composed of humus mixed with hardwood, peat and sand in the proportions of 2: 1: 1: 0.5. You can simplify your task and purchase a ready-made substrate for Aroid at a specialized flower shop.The very process of transplanting is to remove the flower from the container in which it grew, and clean the root system of soil residues. At the same time, it is worthwhile to carefully examine the roots: if damaged or diseased were found, they need to be cut off, and the place of the cut should be coated with powder from crushed coal. Then the plant is placed in a new container, the roots are covered with soil and slightly tamped.
Breeding
In order to turn your house into a blooming monastery of Andre, there is no need to spend money on a new flowerpot. You can just do the propagation of the culture. How to do this, read on.
Cuttings
The easiest and most convenient way. It is better to carry out the procedure in the spring or summer time, since in these periods the cuttings take root and take root better. First of all, you need to cut off the top of the flower with several internodes, 5 cm long. Then place it in water and wait for the roots to appear. You can cut off the part already with an aerial spine. Cuttings are planted a month after cutting. During this time, the roots of the seedling will reach a length of 3 cm.
Important! Yellowing of the edges of the leaves of the plant speaks of aging, or lack of light. therefore you need to think about its reproduction or rejuvenation.
Seed cultivation
The procedure will be more complicated than the previous one and will require much more time and effort. After all, first of all, you need to wait until the Anthurium fades, it will be tied up and the fruits achieved. And for the appearance of fruits, you need to conduct the pollination process in the first days of the appearance of flowers. This procedure is carried out using a cotton sponge or brush, several times conducting on the cob.
The best effect is obtained by cross-pollination of two and even more Andre. A single procedure will not be enough, it must be repeated for several days. After pollinating procedures, you need to be patient and wait until the berries ripen, and after them the fruits. The wait can last a whole year.
After the expiration of the ripening period, you need to collect seeds that can immediately be planted, after peeling the berry pulp. Planting is the laying of seeds on the soil. Covering them with a substrate on top is not necessary, you just need to press a little to the ground, and then spray using a spray gun. The capacity is sent to a warm place (+25 ... + 28 ° С) and a dark place. In a week or two, the first sprouts will appear.
After about 2 months, 2 real leaves will appear on the sprouts. This suggests that they need to dive. Another pick is carried out after another 2 months. Seedlings can be placed in separate containers only when 5-6 leaves appear on them.
Important! Anthuriums grown from seeds will bloom only after 3 years.
Possible growing difficulties
Florists in whose home greenhouse Anthuriums know that this tropical plant needs to be protected from diseases and pests. Too often, a culture suffers from attacks of spider mites, thrips, scale insects, cherbets and aphids, whose main preventive tool is a warm shower. If you neglect the rules for caring for a flower, it can become ill with stem or root rot, rust, downy mildew, anthracnose.
The main sources of these diseases: insufficient air humidity, excessive watering, diseased indoor plants in the neighborhood, poor-quality substrate, excess or lack of fertilizing. The most common Andre disease is anthracosis, which is accompanied by drying of the leaves, and the death of the flowerpot. As a medicine, solutions of fungicides are used.
Important! For safety, it is advisable to put a container with a plant in a place where children and pets can not get, who can pluck its leaves and taste it. The fact is that the juice of the culture contains toxic substances that can provoke health problems.
As a result, we can say the following. Anthurium Andre is a bright tropical flower that impresses with its incomparable appearance. It’s not so difficult to take care of such a guest from the tropics, the main thing is to stock up on knowledge of his mores and preferences.
