Anthurium 'Queen of Hearts'

Cultivation history of Anthurium ‘Queen of Hearts’

The known cultivation history of ‘Queen of Hearts’ begins with tissue-cultured material from the Silver Krome Gardens programme in Florida. The material was associated with the nursery’s ‘Ace of Spades’ line, and the plant was maintained as a separate cultivar for its broad leaves, compact growth and strongly coloured new foliage.

Growing Anthurium ‘Queen of Hearts’ indoors

• Give broad new leaves room to open: Keep the soft emerging blade clear of the window, neighbouring leaves and nearby pots. Wait until it is firm before cleaning or repositioning it.
• Keep moisture steady during leaf growth: Water when the upper layer of the mix begins to dry, soak the root ball evenly and let all excess drain. Avoid both long dry spells and a constantly wet pot.
• Use bright filtered light and stable warmth: Place the plant in a well-lit position away from hot midday sun and cold draughts. Temperatures above 15 °C support steady growth.
• Choose a fine, airy root mix: Fine bark, coco chips and pumice or perlite suit the finer roots. Keep the container close to the current root-ball size. During active growth, use light feeding, and periodically run plain water through the mix to clear accumulated salts.

Troubleshooting Anthurium ‘Queen of Hearts’

• A new leaf opens uneven after rubbing — mechanical damage: Check whether the soft blade touched another surface, then inspect both leaf surfaces and folded growth for pest signs. When no slender insects, black specks, moving mites or fine webbing are present, give the next leaf more space and keep root moisture steadier.
• Silvery feeding marks with black specks — thrips: Confirm thrips by finding slender moving insects or black specks beside fresh silver scarring on either leaf surface or in the folded growth. Isolate the plant, rinse the newest leaves and apply a treatment labelled specifically for thrips to both leaf surfaces and folded growth. Repeat it at the intervals stated on the label for the full course.
• Fine pale stippling or webbing — spider mites: Inspect both leaf surfaces and folded growth for moving mites or their fine webbing. Once confirmed, keep the plant isolated, rinse the newest leaves and apply a treatment labelled specifically for spider mites to both leaf surfaces and folded growth. Repeat it at the intervals stated on the label for the full course.
• Leaf stalks lengthen and lean towards the window: Move the plant gradually into brighter filtered light. The bright indirect light guide can help you choose a suitable position.
• Several lower leaves yellow and the pot stays wet: Let the mix dry further, empty standing water and check that the drainage holes remain open. Inspect the roots when yellowing continues or the mix smells stale. If roots are dark, soft or mushy, remove only the failed sections, retain all firm roots and repot the healthy remainder in fresh, airy mix. The root rot guide gives additional recovery detail.
• Dry brown margins appear on several leaves: Review missed waterings, fertiliser strength, mineral-heavy water and heat from nearby glass. Water thoroughly after a missed interval, reduce overly strong feeding, flush the mix when salts are visible and move the plant away from hot dry airflow.

Anthurium ‘Queen of Hearts’ 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 ‘Queen of Hearts’: where the names come from

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

Heinrich Wilhelm Schott published the genus Anthurium in 1829 in the Wiener Zeitschrift für Kunst, Litteratur, Theater und Mode, 1829(3): 828.

‘Queen of Hearts’ originated at Silver Krome Gardens in Florida, where an unexpected plant appeared in tissue-cultured material associated with the nursery’s ‘Ace of Spades’ line. William Rotolante retained the plant in culture and named it ‘Queen of Hearts’. The name appears to continue the playing-card theme of ‘Ace of Spades’. Its exact parentage remains unknown.