Anthurium crystallinum ‘Crystal Hope’

The Costa Rican breeding origin of Anthurium crystallinum ‘Crystal Hope’

Anthurium crystallinum ‘Crystal Hope’ was bred in Cartago, Costa Rica, from two selected Anthurium crystallinum lines and later propagated by division and tissue culture. The cultivar was established by the mid-1990s.

Wild Anthurium crystallinum inhabits wet tropical forest from Panama to Colombia, usually as an epiphyte.

Care for epiphytic Anthurium roots and foliage

• Humidity and airflow: Keep humidity high enough for new leaves to open cleanly, with gentle air movement around the growing point. Let wet foliage dry quickly.
• Watering: Use pot weight and the moisture within the nursery root ball: water when its upper portion has dried, then flush the airy mix thoroughly and let surplus water escape.
• Temperature: Keep Anthurium crystallinum ‘Crystal Hope’ in stable indoor warmth and protect its active roots from both cold draughts and sustained heat.
• Substrate and repotting: Keep Anthurium crystallinum ‘Crystal Hope’ in its nursery mix until fresh epiphytic roots are visible, unless poor drainage makes an earlier change necessary. Use a slightly larger pot with fine bark, coco coir, chopped coco husk and pumice or perlite.
• Leaf care and propagation: Keep moisture and humidity steady while the compact new leaves unfold. Brush mature blades dry and propagate from independently rooted offsets or node-bearing stem sections.

Root, stem and leaf problems in Anthurium crystallinum ‘Crystal Hope’

• Reading a wilted or yellow leaf: If the leaf bends easily while the container feels light, check for a dry root zone; water through the full mix and drain it completely. Soft yellow growth while the pot remains wet suggests that drainage has slowed; hold the next watering and inspect deeper roots. One ageing leaf at the base is common when newer growth remains healthy.
• Pests concealed around the crown: Fine silver streaks on the newest leaf commonly indicate thrips; mites leave a much finer dull stippling on mature foliage. Inspect the newest sheath as well as the mature leaf underside; tiny larvae and black specks can hide there. Keep the plant away from the collection while treating hidden growth and the complete leaf surface. Let the product label set the repeat interval and look for fresh feeding marks weekly until four clean checks have passed.
• Creased new leaves: A compact new leaf can crease when root moisture or humidity changes during opening. Leave it untouched, stabilise conditions and use the next leaf to judge improvement.
• A crisp point or widening brown edge: Fresh brown tips call for a check of moisture, humidity and mineral residue; use the pot and recent care history to separate these causes. Start with a moisture reading from deeper in the container; when moisture is adequate, flush salts with low-mineral water and move the leaf away from hot glass.
• Root damage below the surface: Healthy root tissue feels solid under light pressure; root colour varies, so firmness is the useful test. Take out dead root tissue and leave every firm section intact; match the remaining roots with a snug ventilated pot and fine airy mix.

Anthurium crystallinum ‘Crystal Hope’ 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 crystallinum, and what does the name mean?

The genus name Anthurium combines Greek anthos, “flower”, and oura, “tail”, referring to the tail-like spadix. The epithet crystallinum is Latin for crystalline, referring to the bright, crystal-like leaf veins.

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

Jean Jules Linden and Édouard-François André first described Anthurium crystallinum in 1873 in Catalogue Général, volume 90, plate 128.