Anthurium ×ferrierense 'Crisped'

A Victorian hybrid followed by a crisped selection

Anthurium × ferrierense was formally published in 1883 from a cultivated cross between Anthurium andraeanum and Anthurium ornatum, now treated as Anthurium nymphaeifolium. Both parents come from humid forests of northern South America and were brought together at Ferrières-en-Brie. The later ‘Crisped’ selection carries the same hybrid background and was chosen for densely crimped foliage; its individual selector and date have not been preserved.

Care for Anthurium × ferrierense ‘Crisped’

• Light: Give bright filtered light, including gentle morning or evening sun after acclimation. Good light supports both foliage and flowering.
• Watering: Water when the upper 2 cm begins to dry. Wet the root ball evenly, allow full drainage and empty the outer pot.
• Humidity and airflow: Maintain 55–75% relative humidity with airflow around the leaves and inflorescences.
• Temperature: Keep at 20–28 °C and above 18 °C at night. Stable warmth supports continuous root activity.
• Substrate and repotting: Use the nursery root ball as a stable baseline for Anthurium × ferrierense ‘Crisped’ while it acclimates; record how quickly the rosette crown and outer roots dries, then repot when fresh roots and a repeatable watering interval are visible. Later, use a pot 2–3 cm wider with fine bark, coir or peat and pumice or perlite.
• Feeding: Feed at low concentration with a complete fertiliser. Reduce the dose only when light and active growth slow, then resume the normal rate with fresh roots or a new leaf and flush the pot with plain water every 4–6 weeks.
• Crisped margins and propagation: Keep the crisped leaf margins clear of abrasive surfaces and wipe the firm blades gently with a damp cloth. Rooted offsets and node-bearing stem pieces are suitable propagation material.

Brown margins, root problems and pests

• Yellow foliage with reduced firmness: A pot that has become easy to lift, dry upper root zone and flexible leaves indicate thirst; soak all of the mix and empty any collected runoff. A pot that stays weighty after watering, damp mix and soft yellow leaves indicate root stress; set watering aside while you inspect the centre of the root ball.
• A compromised root ball: Healthy roots feel firm and pale. Remove slippery or hollow roots with scissors disinfected before use, return firm roots to a close-fitting airy mix and keep the stem at the surface. Before cutting Anthurium × ferrierense ‘Crisped’, photograph the root system and confirm failure by texture; preserve every firm section, sterilise the tool between cuts and keep the crown stable while new roots develop.
• Brown margins with a moist root ball: Naturally crisped margins remain evenly shaped and firm. New dry brown tissue points to drought, salts or sun; check pot weight, flush the mix and keep the leaf away from hot glass.
• New dark tissue on the leaf: Dry fixed marks can point back to contact or sun. Wet, soft or yellow-edged lesions that expand need isolation, dry foliage and daily photographs.
• No movement from the centre: Weak light, cold roots or root loss can reduce both leaves and flowers. Give bright filtered light, 20–28 °C and nights above 18 °C; wait for active roots before increasing feed.
• Hidden pests on stems and foliage: Thrips scar young leaves and flowers; mealybugs and scale hide at petiole bases. Isolate, remove visible pests, apply a product labelled for the pest, schedule the next treatment exactly as directed on the label and inspect both leaf surfaces each week over the following four weeks.
• Natural waves or damaged edges: Even firm waves along the leaf edge are part of the plant. New brittle brown tissue, a moving yellow line or a soft margin signals stress and should be assessed separately.

Anthurium × ferrierense ‘Crisped’: a note for pet owners

• Not pet-safe. This plant contains calcium oxalate crystals that can cause immediate pain and irritation if chewed.

The botanical names behind this plant

The genus name Anthurium combines Greek anthos, “flower”, and oura, “tail”, referring to the tail-like spadix. Heinrich Wilhelm Schott established the genus in 1829 in Wiener Zeitschrift für Kunst, Litteratur, Theater und Mode, volume 3, page 828.

Ferrierense refers to Ferrières-en-Brie, where Bergman raised this horticultural hybrid. Maxwell T. Masters and Thomas Moore formally published Anthurium × ferrierense in 1883 in The Gardeners’ Chronicle, new series, volume 20: 758. Their account recorded the parents as Anthurium andraeanum and Anthurium ornatum; Kew now treats Anthurium ornatum as a synonym of Anthurium nymphaeifolium. The later cultivar name ‘Crisped’ describes the densely crimped leaf margins, but its selector and publication history remain undocumented.