Anthurium ‘Big Red Bird’

Background of Anthurium ‘Big Red Bird’

Anthurium ‘Big Red Bird’ is a cultivated bird’s-nest Anthurium selected for red new growth and a broad rosette. Bird’s-nest Anthuriums grow as upright rings of overlapping leaves, a habit shared by this cultivar. The name refers to its large rosette and red young foliage.

Keeping Anthurium ‘Big Red Bird’ healthy

Water the potting mix and keep water out of the centre of the rosette. Once the upper layer has begun to dry, soak the root ball, let it drain and empty any water held between the leaf bases. Remove fallen material before it decomposes in the crown.

Use a broad stable pot with medium bark, coco chips, coir and pumice. Place it in bright filtered light and protect the foliage from hot direct sun. Keep the plant warm with airflow through the rosette, feed during active growth and repot when roots reach the edge of the pot or drainage slows.

Health problems in Anthurium ‘Big Red Bird’

• The centre becomes soft or smells unpleasant: Remove standing water and loose decaying material, then check whether the crown and newest growth are still firm. If softness reaches the base or the wet root ball smells sour, remove the plant from the pot and inspect the roots. Preserve all firm roots and trim only sections that have become soft, hollow, slippery or foul-smelling. Repot the remaining firm roots in fresh, open substrate. See the root rot guide for severe cases.
• Cottony clusters appear between the leaf bases: Isolate the plant, remove visible mealybugs and treat every accessible fold with a mealybug treatment suitable for houseplants. Repeat the treatment at the intervals prescribed on its label for the full course. Use the mealybug guide for additional treatment detail.
• Several lower leaves yellow and the pot stays damp: Pause watering, empty the cover pot and check that the drainage holes are clear. Replace the mix if it has become dense, sour or slow to drain.
• Brown edges spread across several leaves: Check for a root ball that has dried deeply, a white mineral crust on the mix or pot, hot sun and dry airflow. Water and drain a dry root ball, flush the mix when mineral deposits are visible and remove the damaging exposure.

Anthurium ‘Big Red Bird’ 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.

About the name Anthurium

The genus name Anthurium combines Greek anthos, “flower”, and oura, “tail”, referring to the tail-like spadix.

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