Anthurium digitatum

Natural range and habitat of Anthurium digitatum

Anthurium digitatum is native to Tobago and Venezuela. It grows as an epiphyte in wet tropical forest, rooting in loose organic material above the ground as its stem develops along raised surfaces.

How to grow Anthurium digitatum

• Leaf development: Leave enough room for each divided leaf to unfold and allow juvenile plants time to develop their mature form.
• Potting mix and support: Use a coarse bark-based mix and guide aerial roots into the mix or onto a slim support as the stem lengthens.
• Light: Give the crown bright, evenly distributed indirect light and prevent larger plants from shading it.
• Temperature and humidity: A warm 18–27 °C range suits growth; avoid sustained cold below 15 °C. Maintain roughly 60–80% humidity without stagnant air.
• Water: Water when the surface of the mix has dried and the pot feels lighter, then soak the root ball and empty the collected water.
• Repotting: Move to a modestly wider container when roots and new growth from the base have used the available space.
• Feeding: Feed sparingly while the plant is producing new leaves.
• Propagation: For propagation, separate a basal shoot with its own roots or use a healthy stem section with an active growing point.

Troubleshooting Anthurium digitatum

• New leaves remain simple or divide into only a few segments: This is normal on juvenile plants and can also follow root disturbance. Judge development across several growth cycles before changing care.
• Petioles become long and weak: The plant may be receiving too little light. Increase the light level gradually and remove overhead shade from nearby foliage.
• One leaf segment tears as a new blade unfolds: The damage is mechanical and will remain on that segment. Remove nearby obstacles and give later leaves an unobstructed path.

Anthurium digitatum 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.

Anthurium digitatum: where the name comes from

The genus name Anthurium combines Greek anthos, “flower”, and oura, “tail”, referring to the tail-like spadix. Digitatum means “fingered”, referring to the finger-like leaf divisions.

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

Nicolaus Joseph von Jacquin first described it as Pothos digitatus in 1792 in Icones Plantarum Rariorum, volume 3, issue 9, page 18. Heinrich Wilhelm Schott later placed it in Anthurium as Anthurium digitatum in 1829 in Wiener Zeitschrift für Kunst, Literatur, Theater und Mode, volume 1829, issue 3, page 828.