Anthurium watermaliense aka 'The black Anthurium' or 'Black prince''

Premontane rain forest from Costa Rica to Colombia

Anthurium watermaliense ranges from Costa Rica through Panama to Colombia. It grows in wet tropical, premontane rain and lower montane rain forest, most often below about 750 m but recorded up to roughly 2,400 m. It is a terrestrial bird’s-nest subshrub of sheltered forest, where the ground layer remains humid and rich in organic matter.

Care for Anthurium watermaliense (Black Anthurium / Black Prince)

• Light: Place in medium to bright filtered light. Acclimated plants tolerate soft morning or evening sun; strong midday sun can bleach the upright leaves.
• Watering: Water when the upper 2–3 cm begins to dry. Soak the root ball, drain it and empty water trapped in the central rosette.
• Humidity and airflow: Maintain 55–75% relative humidity with airflow through the leaf bases. Keep the crown free of standing water.
• Temperature: Keep at 20–29 °C, with nights above 18 °C. Warm roots suit these tropical rosette plants.
• Substrate and repotting: Before changing the substrate around Anthurium watermaliense (Black Anthurium / Black Prince), learn the nursery pot’s wet and dry weights and confirm active growth through the rosette crown and outer roots; that evidence gives a safer repotting point than a fixed calendar date. Later, use a stable pot only slightly wider with medium bark, coco chips, coir and pumice.
• Feeding: Feed with a dilute complete fertiliser during active root and leaf growth. Apply it to the substrate and flush with plain water every 4–6 weeks.
• Rosette and inflorescence care: Keep the leaf bases and dark inflorescence dry after watering, and remove old material from the crown. Propagate from independently rooted basal shoots or a viable stem section.

Wilting, root problems and water around flowers

• Yellow leaves with changing pot weight: A root ball that has lost most of its weight and dry mix below the surface indicate thirst; water the root ball, then remove any water held in the crown. A root ball that stays heavy and damp, damp mix and yellowing from the centre or lower leaves indicate wet-root stress; wait before watering again and examine roots and leaf bases.
• Root failure around the crown: Firm thick roots can stay in place; a soft or hollow centre shows that the root has failed. Remove soft, hollow or foul-smelling roots using clean scissors reserved for plant work, keep the crown above a close-fitting airy mix and drain the pot completely. Before cutting Anthurium watermaliense (Black Anthurium / Black Prince), 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.
• Browning that starts at the edge: Brown tips may appear after uneven moisture, dry air or fertiliser salts. Check the centre of the pot before treating brown tips as dryness; clear mineral build-up and maintain mild air movement through the rosette.
• When a leaf spot keeps expanding: A dry bleached patch may appear after direct sun, while bruising stays local. Daily enlargement in a soft spot near the crown calls for isolation; keep leaf bases dry and monitor the outline closely.
• A growth point waiting to restart: When light is adequate, a cool root zone is the next growth check; correct light and root temperature before expecting faster growth. Support the next leaf with filtered light and temperatures of 20–29 °C; a firm leaf at the centre shows that growth is recovering.
• Treating confirmed pests and rechecking: Black specks around a new leaf are a common thrips clue; cottony pests and scale are easiest to miss inside the crown. Isolate the plant, clear accessible pests with a moistened swab, apply a product labelled for the pest into accessible hiding places. Continue treatment at the interval stated on the product and look for fresh feeding marks each week over the following four weeks.
• Water around leaf bases and flowers: Keep water and old material out of the leaf bases and around the dark inflorescence. A firm dark spadix is normal; soft wet tissue or a spreading mark needs isolation.

Anthurium watermaliense (Black Anthurium / Black Prince): safety around pets

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

The name Anthurium watermaliense

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.

Watermaliense is a place-name formation linked to Watermael in Belgium, where the plant was cultivated after its introduction. Liberty Hyde Bailey and George V. Nash published Anthurium watermaliense in 1914 in The Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture: 303.