Anthurium watermaliense (Black Anthurium / Black Prince)

Premontane rain forest from Costa Rica to Colombia

Anthurium watermaliense ranges from Costa Rica through Panama to Colombia. It grows in wet tropical, premontane rain and lower montane rain forest, most often below about 750 m but recorded up to roughly 2,400 m. It is a terrestrial bird’s-nest subshrub of sheltered forest, where the ground layer remains humid and rich in organic matter.

Growing Anthurium indoors

• Rosette and inflorescence care: Keep the leaf bases and dark inflorescence dry after watering, and remove old material from the crown. Propagate from independently rooted basal shoots or a viable stem section.
• Substrate and repotting: Wait for active outer roots before repotting Anthurium watermaliense, unless the nursery substrate has stopped draining freely. Use a stable pot only slightly wider with medium bark, coco chips, coir and pumice.
• Watering: Water when the upper layer of the substrate begins to dry. Soak the root ball, drain it and empty water trapped in the central rosette.
• Humidity and airflow: Maintain moderate to high humidity with airflow through the leaf bases. Keep the crown free of standing water.
• Temperature: Keep the dark-stemmed rosette in stable warmth and away from cold glass. Warm roots suit these tropical rosette plants.

Root, stem and leaf problems in Anthurium watermaliense (Black Anthurium / Black Prince)

• Yellow leaves with changing pot weight: A root ball that has lost most of its weight and dry mix below the surface indicate thirst; water the root ball, then remove any water held in the crown. A root ball that stays heavy and damp, damp mix and yellowing from the centre or lower leaves indicate wet-root stress; wait before watering again and examine roots and leaf bases.
• Root failure around the crown: Firm thick roots can stay in place; a soft or hollow centre shows that the root has failed. Remove soft, hollow or foul-smelling roots using clean scissors reserved for plant work, keep the crown above a close-fitting airy mix and drain the pot completely.
• Treating confirmed pests and rechecking: Black specks around a new leaf are a common thrips clue; cottony pests and scale are easiest to miss inside the crown. Isolate the plant, clear accessible pests with a moistened swab, apply a product labelled for the pest into accessible hiding places. Continue treatment at the interval stated on the product and look for fresh feeding marks after treatment.
• Water around leaf bases and flowers: Keep water and old material out of the leaf bases and around the dark inflorescence. A firm dark spadix is normal; soft wet tissue or a spreading mark needs isolation.
• Browning that starts at the edge: Brown tips may appear after uneven moisture, dry air or fertiliser salts. Check the centre of the pot before treating brown tips as dryness; clear mineral build-up and maintain mild air movement through the rosette.

Anthurium watermaliense 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 the name Anthurium watermaliense mean?

The genus name Anthurium combines Greek anthos, “flower”, and oura, “tail”, referring to the tail-like spadix. The epithet watermaliense refers to Watermael in Belgium, where the plant entered cultivation.

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

Liberty Hyde Bailey and George Valentine Nash first described Anthurium watermaliense in 1914 in The Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, page 303.