Anthurium jenmanii ‘Gold’

Species background of Anthurium jenmanii ‘Gold’

‘Gold’ is a cultivated yellow-green selection of Anthurium jenmanii. The species ranges from Trinidad and Tobago across northern South America to northern Brazil, where it grows on trees, rocks or the ground in warm, moist forest.

The cultivated selection retains the species’ short-stemmed bird’s-nest habit.

Care for Anthurium jenmanii ‘Gold’

Place the plant in bright filtered light that keeps the rosette compact without scorching its lightest leaves. A broad crown needs a stable pot, but the root ball should not be surrounded by a large volume of wet mix.

• Water: Let the upper part of the substrate begin to dry, then soak the root ball and drain it fully. Remove water that remains deep in the central leaf bases.
• Substrate: Use a chunky organic mix that holds some moisture between larger particles. Replace it when it begins to collapse around the roots.
• Feeding: Feed lightly during active growth. Excess fertiliser can build up salts in the mix and burn pale leaf margins.
• Offsets: Separate a basal shoot only after it has formed its own roots and can be removed without cutting through the main crown.

Colour changes and damage in ‘Gold’

• Fresh leaves become somewhat greener as they harden: This is a normal colour transition. Concern begins when a pale leaf is also thin, weak or failing to expand. If the root ball stays wet, extend the drying interval; after chilling, return the plant to stable warmth; if growth is healthy but underfed, resume light feeding during active growth. The yellow leaf guide helps compare other patterns.
• Brown margins appear on the lightest leaves: Shield the plant from direct midday sun, flush excess salts and restore full watering if the root ball has been drying unevenly.
• The central leaf base becomes soft: Remove trapped water, increase airflow and inspect daily for spreading decay. If dead tissue must be removed, make the cut with a blade that has been cleaned and disinfected first.

Anthurium jenmanii ‘Gold’ 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 jenmanii: where the name comes from

The genus name Anthurium combines Greek anthos, “flower”, and oura, “tail”, referring to the tail-like spadix. Jenmanii honours the British botanist George Samuel Jenman.

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

Heinrich Gustav Adolf Engler first described Anthurium jenmanii in 1905 in Das Pflanzenreich, IV, 23B, page 72.