Anadendrum affine

Natural range and habitat of Anadendrum affine

Anadendrum affine is native to Sumatra and Borneo and grows in wet tropical forest habitat.

How to care for Anadendrum affine

Provide bright indirect light and temperatures around 18–29 °C. Avoid prolonged temperatures below 15 °C. Humidity of about 60–80% suits it when the surrounding air also moves gently. A humid growing cabinet can also work well if air circulates around the foliage.

Use a loose aroid mix that holds some moisture and drains freely. The pot should have drainage holes. Water when the pot feels lighter and the mix has begun to dry below the surface, while some moisture still remains deeper in the root ball. Water thoroughly and empty any water left beneath the pot.

Feed lightly during active growth with houseplant fertiliser at half strength.

Give the vine a moss pole, board or another surface to climb.

Move the vine into a slightly larger pot when roots have filled the container or the pot begins drying much faster than before.

Root stem sections with a node in warm, humid conditions.

Troubleshooting Anadendrum affine

• Wilting with a light, dry pot: the root ball has probably become too dry. Water thoroughly, let the excess drain and check the plant again later, after it has had time to take up water.
• Wilting or yellowing while the mix is still wet: the roots may be short of air or beginning to rot. Remove the plant from persistently wet mix, trim soft brown roots back to healthy tissue with a clean tool, discard the rotten material and repot in fresh, airy aroid mix.
• Small new leaves with long gaps between them: the vine may need more light, a climbing surface, or both. Move it to brighter indirect light and guide the growing stem onto its support.
• Tiny pale speckles or fine webbing beneath the velvety leaves: spider mites may be present. Keep the vine apart from other plants and rinse the leaf undersides thoroughly. Recheck the foliage after a few days and use a labelled mite treatment if mites are still present. Repeat it only as directed on the label.

Anadendrum affine is toxic to people and pets

• Keep this plant away from children, cats and dogs.
• Its leaves and stems contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which can irritate the mouth, throat, skin and eyes.
• Chewing may cause burning pain, drooling, swelling, vomiting or difficulty swallowing. Contact a veterinarian or medical professional after exposure, especially if swelling or breathing problems occur.

What does Anadendrum affine mean, and who first published it?

Anadendrum combines Greek ana, meaning upward, with dendron, meaning tree, a name suited to these climbing aroids. The Latin epithet affine means related, allied or similar.

Heinrich Wilhelm Schott established the genus Anadendrum in 1857 in Bonplandia (Hannover), volume 5, page 45.

Heinrich Wilhelm Schott first described Anadendrum affine in 1864 in Annales Musei Botanici Lugduno-Batavi, volume 1, page 282.