Anthurium ‘Big Bill’ (A. pendulifolium × A. cubense)

Bill Rotolante’s Silver Krome hybrid

Bill Rotolante created Anthurium ‘Big Bill’ at Silver Krome Gardens in Florida by crossing Anthurium pendulifolium with Anthurium cubense. The first parent is an epiphyte of wet forest from Colombia, Ecuador and northern Peru. The second forms a bird’s-nest rosette on trees, rocks or the ground from southern Mexico and Cuba through Central America to northern South America. ‘Big Bill’ brings those two contrasting forest habits together in a cultivated Florida lineage.

Care for Anthurium roots and climbing growth

• Watering: Water when the upper part of the coarse mix has begun to dry but pieces below remain faintly moist. Saturate the entire root zone and let the pot drain freely; never leave the crown or lower roots standing in water.
• Humidity and airflow: Maintain moderate to high humidity with free air movement around the hanging leaves and crown.
• Settling in, support and root care: Let Anthurium ‘Big Bill’ settle in its nursery root ball before repotting. Once fresh roots are visible, move it to a secure hanging or elevated pot with coarse bark, coco chips, a little coir and pumice.
• Light: Provide bright filtered light and keep long leaves away from direct midday sun. Light from above helps the crown grow evenly.
• Temperature: Keep the hanging crown warm and away from cold windows. Protect hanging pots from cold windows and ceiling-level heat.
• Leaf care and propagation: Give the long leaves clear space below and stabilise the crown as the plant gains weight. Clean the blades with a gentle rinse and propagate only from rooted offsets or viable stem sections.

Health checks for Anthurium ‘Big Bill’ (A. pendulifolium × A. cubense)

• Pot weight, wilting and yellow leaves: A noticeably lighter container with a dry open mix points to thirst; soak all of the mix and empty any collected runoff. A pot that feels heavy in the hand, stale damp mix and limp yellow leaves point to root stress; give the pot time to lighten and inspect the root zone.
• Checking root firmness: Healthy exposed roots feel firm and springy; surface colour can change between waterings. Remove hollow or slippery sections with a disinfected blade, keep the crown high and return the remaining roots to a secure close-fitting pot with a coarse airy mix.
• Pests around leaf bases and undersides: Silver streaks on an opening leaf point to thrips; mites leave much finer pale dots along the length. Examine closely both surfaces from crown to tip. Isolate, clean the full leaf length, treat with a product carrying the correct pest label. Follow the label closely when another application is due and watch the central growth point after treatment.
• Creases in long leaves: A dry crease usually forms where a long blade rests on a shelf, wall or floor. Raise the crown, clear the full hanging path and leave an existing crease in place.

Anthurium ‘Big Bill’ 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.

Who first published Anthurium pendulifolium and Anthurium cubense, and what do the names mean?

The genus name Anthurium combines Greek anthos, “flower”, and oura, “tail”, referring to the tail-like spadix. The epithet pendulifolium means hanging-leaved. The epithet cubense means from Cuba.

Heinrich Wilhelm Schott established the genus Anthurium in 1829 in Wiener Zeitschrift für Kunst, Literatur, Theater und Mode, volume 3, page 828.

Nicholas Edward Brown first described Anthurium pendulifolium in 1904 in Gardeners’ Chronicle, series 3, volume 36, page 362.

Heinrich Gustav Adolf Engler first described Anthurium cubense in 1898 in Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, volume 25, page 364.