Anthurium clarinervium

Limestone forest in Chiapas

Anthurium clarinervium is native to a restricted part of Chiapas, Mexico, where it grows on limestone outcrops, rocky ledges and pockets of organic material in humid forest. it roughly between 800 and 1,200 m. Water moves quickly through this karst habitat even though the surrounding forest remains warm, shaded and moist.

Care for velvet Anthurium foliage and roots

• Watering, root care and settling in: During acclimation, let the upper root ball partly dry and use pot weight to judge when water is needed. Wait for active roots before changing the mix. Use a snug pot with pumice, fine bark, coco coir and a small amount of limestone grit to reflect its limestone-rock habitat.
• Light: Give bright filtered light; acclimated plants can receive mild morning or evening sun. Keep them away from hot midday glass.
• Humidity and airflow: A range of moderate to high humidity is usually sufficient when air moves freely around the plant and wet leaves dry promptly.
• Feeding: Apply a dilute complete fertiliser during root and leaf growth. If Anthurium clarinervium keeps producing roots or leaves under lower light, continue feeding lightly; reduce or pause when growth stops, and flush the mineral mix with plain water occasionally.
• Leaf care and propagation: Keep the short stem above the mix and avoid oversized pots around its rock-adapted roots. Brush the thick velvet leaves dry and propagate from rooted offsets or node-bearing stem sections.

Root, stem and leaf problems in Anthurium clarinervium

• Pot weight, wilting and yellow leaves: Let the surface dry before the next watering. A pot that lifts easily with a dry deeper root zone and flexible leaves indicates excessive drying; soak fully. Soft yellow leaves with a pot that stays damp past its usual dry point indicate root stress.
• Checking root firmness: Keep the short stem at the surface with air around the roots. Remove hollow or slippery roots with disinfected scissors, return firm roots to a snug mineral-aerated mix and resume watering only as the upper third dries.
• Pests around leaf bases and undersides: Fine pale dots during a dry spell suggest mites; check veins for scale and new leaves for thrips. Isolate, identify the pest with magnification, apply the correctly labelled pest treatment, use the label instructions for every repeat application and watch the central growth point after treatment.
• Dry tips, salts and uneven watering: Crisp margins can result from an overlong dry interval or salt accumulation. Check moisture below the dry surface before watering; water fully with low-mineral water and return to the usual drying rhythm.
• Dark marks with wet or yellow borders: Dry tan scorch can settle into a fixed mark, while water-soaked or yellow-edged marks can spread.

Anthurium clarinervium 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.

Where does the name Anthurium clarinervium come from?

The genus name Anthurium combines Greek anthos, “flower”, and oura, “tail”, referring to the tail-like spadix. Clarinervium combines Latin clarus, “clear” or “bright”, and nervus, “vein”: “bright-veined”.

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

Eizi Matuda first described Anthurium clarinervium in 1952 in Anales del Instituto de Biología de la Universidad Nacional de México, volume 22, page 375.