Anthurium ‘Ace of Spades’

From a Silver Krome seed batch in Florida

Denis Rotolante selected and named Anthurium ‘Ace of Spades’ at Silver Krome Gardens in Florida from a small seed batch produced by a plant labelled ‘Hoffmannii’. That source plant was reportedly collected as a South American epiphyte, while its botanical identity and collection locality were never established. The cultivar’s documented story therefore begins with Rotolante’s Florida selection, and its broader ecological background remains the humid, tree-growing setting reported for the original parent.

Care for Anthurium ‘Ace of Spades’

• Light: Place in bright filtered light. Acclimated plants can take gentle morning or evening sun; hot midday light can mark the velvet surface.
• Watering: Water when the upper 1–2 cm of substrate begins to dry. Soak the root ball evenly, drain it fully and keep the moisture rhythm steady while a leaf is expanding.
• Humidity and airflow: Aim for 65–80% relative humidity with gentle air movement. Dry water from the leaf surface promptly.
• Temperature: Keep at 20–28 °C, with the root zone above 18 °C. Protect the plant from cold glass, draughts and sudden temperature drops.
• Substrate and repotting: During acclimation, keep Anthurium ‘Ace of Spades’ in its nursery pot while you compare pot weight before and after watering and watch the well-aerated root zone and emerging foliage; repot after active roots make its drying rhythm predictable. Later, use a pot only 2–3 cm wider and a fine, open mix of coco coir or peat, small bark and pumice or perlite.
• Feeding: Feed with a dilute complete fertiliser while the plant is producing leaves and roots. Continue at a lower rate whenever light and active growth slow, then return to the normal rate with fresh roots or a new leaf and flush the substrate with plain water every 4–6 weeks.
• Velvet leaves and propagation: Brush dust from the dark leaves with a soft dry brush and leave new blades untouched until firm. Once established, propagate from an independently rooted offset or a node-bearing stem section.

Wilting, root problems and leaf marks

• Yellow leaves or a sudden droop: Limp leaves with a light dry pot show that the roots need water; soak the whole root ball and drain every excess drop. Soft yellow leaves while the pot remains damp point to poor root aeration; delay watering and let the pot drain before checking roots. A single ageing leaf is expected from time to time.
• Root texture and recovery: Keep roots that feel firm and look cream or tan; root colour varies, so firmness is the useful test. Cut away roots that are brown, slippery or hollow with a sterile tool; return the remaining roots to a snug pot with a fine airy mix. Before cutting Anthurium ‘Ace of Spades’, 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.
• Crisp tips and dry margins: Crisp tips after a light pot can come from an uneven watering cycle. If edges brown while the mix is still moist, check salts, hot glass and root condition; flush salts when watering is due, move the plant from hot glass and inspect roots if browning continues.
• Fixed marks or spreading lesions: Rubbing, dried droplets and sun usually leave dry marks with a stable edge; watch the outline before treating it. A wet mark that advances from the margin with a yellow edge is urgent; isolate the plant, keep foliage dry and photograph the outline each day.
• A paused growth point: Weak light can stall growth even when moisture looks correct; compare light, root temperature and root health before changing feed. Return the plant to bright filtered light and 20–28 °C; a fresh root or leaf shows that recovery has started; old damage stays visible.
• Pests on soft new growth: Silver scars, black specks and distorted new leaves point to thrips; mites show as fine pale stippling across mature foliage. Use a hand lens on the undersides and the papery sheath around the newest leaf; tiny pests and black specks are easiest to see there. Move the plant away from the collection and treat both leaf surfaces with a product labelled for the pest; repeat exactly as the product label directs and recheck leaf bases every seven days for four weeks.
• Marks and fingerprints: The dark blades show fingerprints, dried droplets and rubbing clearly. Brush loose dust from a hardened leaf, keep soft new growth clear of contact and treat a mark as active only when its edge changes.

Pet safety for Anthurium ‘Ace of Spades’

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

The name Anthurium ‘Ace of Spades’

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.

‘Ace of Spades’ links the playing-card suit with the cultivar’s broad, pointed spade outline. Denis Rotolante selected and named the plant at Silver Krome Gardens, giving a memorable horticultural name to the dark velvet line.