Anthurium 'Silver Blush'

Background of Anthurium ‘Silver Blush’

‘Silver Blush’ is a cultivated selection of Anthurium crystallinum, chosen for unusually broad silver tissue around the main veins. The species is native from Panama to Colombia and grows in wet tropical forest, both on trees and on the forest floor.

Growing Anthurium ‘Silver Blush’ indoors

• Keep the compact crown evenly lit: Use bright filtered light and turn the pot when growth leans consistently towards the window. Shield the velvet leaves from hot midday sun.
• Water the full root ball: Once the upper part of the mix has dried, soak the pot evenly and let all excess escape. Check moisture beneath the surface before the next watering.
• Renew the mix before it compacts: Small bark and coco material with pumice or perlite keep the fine roots aerated. Repot one size larger when roots fill the container or the mix no longer drains evenly.
• Keep it warm and feed lightly: Protect the plant from temperatures below 15 °C. Apply low-strength fertiliser while new roots and leaves are developing, then flush the mix periodically.

Troubleshooting Anthurium ‘Silver Blush’

• The newest leaf has weak silver contrast: The pattern often becomes clearer after the leaf has expanded and hardened. Leave it to mature in stable filtered light.
• Smaller new leaves also lean towards the window: Move the plant gradually to a brighter position and use the bright indirect light guide to choose a suitable place. If the next leaf remains small, move up one pot size only when roots are tightly filling the container; if the roots are healthy and active growth has resumed, use a light fertiliser dose according to its directions.
• A lower leaf yellows in a wet pot: Extend the interval between waterings and check that the pot drains freely and the mix has not compacted. Inspect the roots if several leaves decline or the mix smells stale. If roots are soft, hollow or otherwise decayed, 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.
• Brown tips return after feeding: Fertiliser salts may be accumulating. Reduce the dose, flush the mix and use lower-mineral water where possible.
• New leaves show scratches, pale patches or black specks: Check first for places where the soft blade rubbed against another surface. Silvery scars with black specks indicate thrips, while fine pale stippling with webbing indicates spider mites; a lone scratch or pale rub mark does not confirm either pest. Inspect the folded growth for these signs. If you confirm thrips or spider mites, isolate the plant and wash the newest growth. Apply a treatment labelled for the confirmed pest to both leaf surfaces, the folded growth and the crown, then repeat it at the intervals stated on the label for the full course.

Anthurium ‘Silver Blush’ 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.

What does Anthurium mean, and who first published it?

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

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