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Anthurium
Scientific classification
Kingdom : Plantae


: Angiosperms
 : Monocots
Order : Alismatales
Family : Araceae
Tribe : Anthurieae
Genus : Antherium
 Anthurium is a large genus of about 600- 800


(possibly 1,000) species, belonging to the arum

family (Araceae). Anthurium can also be called
"Flamingo Flower" or "Boy Flower", both
referring to the structure of the spathe and
spadix.
TROPICOS lists 1901 types, although some of
these are duplicates. It is one of the largest and
probably the most complex genus of this family;
certainly it is one of the most variable. Many
species are undoubtedly not yet described and new
ones are being found every year. The species has
neotropical distribution; mostly in wet tropical
mountain forest of Central America and South
America, but some in semi-arid environments. Most
species occur in Panama, Colombia, Brazil, the
Guiana Shield and Ecuador. According to the work
of noted aroid botanist Dr. Tom Croat of the
Missouri Botanical Garden, this genus is not found
in Asia. Some species have been introduced into
Asian rain forests, but are not endemic.

 Growth habits:
Anthurium grows in many forms, mostly evergreen, bushy or climbing
epiphytes with roots that can hang from the canopy all the way to the
floor of the rain forest. There are also many terrestrial forms which are
found as understory plants, as well as hemiepiphytic forms. A hemiepiphyte
is a plant capable of beginning life as a seed and sending roots to the
soil, or beginning as a terrestrial plant that climbs a tree and then
sends roots back to the soil. They occur also as lithophytes. Some are only
found in association with arboreal ant colonies or growing on rocks in
midstream (such as Anthurium amnicola).
The stems are short to elongate with a length between 15 and 30 cm. The
simple leaves come in many shapes; most leaves are to be found at the end
of the stems, although terrestrial plants show less of this pachycaul
tendency. Leaves may be spatulate, rounded, or obtuse at the apex. They may
be borne erect or spreading in a rosette, with a length that may surpass
100 cm in some of the larger species (such as Anthurium angamarcanum). The
upper surface of the leaf may be matte, semiglossy, or fully glossy, and
the leaf texture may range from leathery to fragile and papery. The leaves
are petiolate and possess a structure called the geniculum, which is
unique to the genus Anthurium. The geniculum allows the plant to swivel
its leaves towards the sun, much in the same manner as sunflowers. In drier
environments, the leaves can form a bird's-nest shaped rosette that enables
the plant to collect falling debris, and thus water and natural fertilizer.
Terrestrial growers or epiphytes often have cordate leaves; others grow as
vines with rosettes of lanceolate leaves, and still others have many-lobed
leaves.19
 Flowering and Fruiting:
Anthurium flowers are small (about 3 mm) and develop
crowded in a spike on a fleshy axis, called a spadix, a
characteristic of the Araceae. The flowers on the spadix are
often divided sexually with a sterile band separating male
from female flowers. This spadix can take on many forms (club-
shaped, tapered, spiraled, and globe-shaped) and colors (white,
green, purple, red, pink, or a combination).
The spadix is part of an inflorescence, the outer portion
of which is known as the spathe. The spathe may be a single
color (yellow, green, or white) or possibly multicolored
including burgundy and red. That sometimes colorful, solitary
spathe is a showy modified bract that can be somewhat
leathery in texture. Anthurium grown for the florist trade
generally have highly coloured spathes and spadices. There are
no flowers on the spathe as is sometimes thought; flowers are
found solely on the spadix. The spathe can vary in color from
pale green to white, rose, orange or shiny red (such as A.
andrenaum). The color changes between the bud stage and the
anthesis, (the time the flower expands). Thus the color might
change from pale green to reddish purple to reddish brown.
 The flowers are hermaphrodite, containing male
and female flowers. The fruits are usually berries
with one to multiple seeds on an infructescence
that may be pendant or erect depending on species.
Anthurium berries may range in colour from bright
red to black, and may also be bicoloured or shaded.
The flowers of Anthurium give off a variety of
fragrances, each attracting a variety of specific
pollinators.
Several species are popular in the florist trade
as pot plants or cut flowers and for interior
decoration. They include forms such as A.
crystallinum f peltifolium with its large, velvety,
darkgreen leaves and silvery white venation. Most
hybrids are based on A. andreanum or A.
scherzerianum because of their colorful spathes.
Anthurium can also be called "Flamingo Flower" or
"Boy Flower", both referring to the structure of
the spathe and spadix.
Anthurium scherzerianum Anthurium digitatum
inflorescence detail
 Species:
Such a large genus cannot be described by a few general terms.
Schott, in his book Prodromus Systematis Aroidearum (1860),
grouped the then known 183 species in 28 sections. In 1905
Engler revised these sections into 18 sections. In 1983 Croat &
Sheffer

came up with the following section.
Belolonchium
Calomystrium
Cardiolonchium
Chamaerepium
Cordatopunctatum
Dactylophyllium
Decurrentia
Digitinervium
Gymnopodium
Leptanthurium
Pachyneurium
Polyphyllium
Polyneurium
Porphyrochitonium
Schizoplacium
Semaeophyllium
Tetraspermium
Urospadix
Xialophyllium

Commenly known Antherium
species:
Anthurium warocqueanum -
"Queen Anthurium"
Anthurium veitchii - "King

Anthurium"
Anthurium andreanum -
Flamingo Lily
Anthurium hookeri - Bird's

Nest Anthurium
Anthurium scandens - Pearl

Laceleaf
Anthurium scherzerianum -
Flamingo Plant, Banner
Plant

  Important Species:
 Flowering group
 Antherium andreanum, A.
bakeri, A. ferrierense, A.ornatum,
A.regale, A.regnellianum,
A.robustum, A. scherzerianum.
Foliage Group
Antherium Clarinervium, A.
corrugatum, A. crystallinum, A.
holtonianum, A. leuconerum, A.
magnificum, A. panduratum, A.
papilionensis, A. Splendidum, A.
veitchii and A. warocqueanum.
Among the various species, A.

andreanum and A. scherzerianum are

cultivated extensively for the
production of flowers.

Genetics
The basic chromosome numbers of antherium are n=15, 16
and 22. The species like A. andreanum (2n=30), A. hooki (2n=30)
and A. magnificum (2n=32) are diploid; A. scandens (2n=45) is
triploid and A. digitatum and A. wallisii (4n=60) are tetraploid. The
chromosome number of A. warocqueanum was found to be 2n=30+3
B chromosome. These were classified as 2 pairs of large
chromosomes, 1 pair of satelite chromosomes, 12 pairs of medium to
small chromosomes, and 3 B chromosomes. Self pollination resulted
in offspring with 2, 3 and 4 B chromosomes, indicating the
transmission of B chromosomes through both pollen and egg. Sheffer
and croat worked out the chromosome number in 86 anthurium
species from North, Central and South America. Fiftyone species had
2n=24 to 66, 30 being the most common. Paleoneuploidy, polyploidy
and B chromosomes had been the basic features of the genus, but
aneuploidy has not been found.
 A few controlled hybridization indicated that neither white nor
red flower colour was dominant and pink was an intermidiate
heterozygous condition. Anthocyanins in the spathes of various A.
andreanum cultivars were identified as cyanidin 3-
rhamnosylglucoside and pelargonidin 3-rhamnosylglucoside. Both
pigments are present in cvs. Ozaki, Kaumana, Kozohara, Kansako
No. 1 and Nakazawa, and in the pink cultivar Marian Seefurth. The
orange cv. Nitta and the coral coloured cv. TateishiCoral contained
only pelargonidin 3-rhamnosylglucoside. Speathe colour in this
species was determined by the relative concentration of the
anthocyanins : a predominance of cyanindin 3-
rhamnosylglucosidewhich results in pink to dark red colours
whereas a predominance of pelargondin 3-rhamnosylglucoside
resulted in coral to orange. A flavone present in large and variable
amount was characterized by not demonstrated to have a modifying
effect on cyanic shades.
 Maurer (1979) describe the techniques
of croos-pollinating A. scherzerianum
and dicuss the presence of recessive
charcters (A=with anthocyanin,
a=without anthocyanin, B=whole
speath coloured and b=spotted speath).
When the parents were Aa/Bb, the
decendents were 9 red (AB), 3 red
spots on white (Abb) and 4 white (aaB
and aabb). The deficit in white plants
was provisionally attributed to their
luck of vigour.

 BREEDING
Hybridization and selection are the most common methods for
improving anthurium. Productivity, flower colour, shape and texture, short
internodes and suckering ability are different characters to be consider in
selection. Two cultivars, Uniwai (an exceptionally high yielding white)and
Marian seefurth with a roe opal spathe were evolved by clonal selection.
Kamemoto and Sheffer (1978) made sucessful crosses between A.
scherzerianum and A.wendlingerii to produce a hybrid with a grayish-orange
spathe. Other characteristics, such as the length and coil of the spadix and the
length and the position of the leaf were intermidiate between the highly
contrasting characteristics of the parental species. Fertility in this hybrid was
very good, indicating the relatively close taxonomic relationship of the two
species. Gajek and Schwarz (1980) describe five A. andrenum hybrids,
valuable for all the year round cut flower whih use a limited energy input.
The best of the cultivars are the medium sized Iga Gold with a shiney red
spathe and a white spadix with yellow tip, and the compact Ellrina with a
vermillion light salmon spathe and a sulpher yellow spadix. In india breeding
programe of breeding is negliable this is main area of concern as we
importing varieties from outside increase the production cost.
Important varieties cultivated in India:
Cut flower varieties
Red- Tropical, Cancan, Ozaki, Hawaiian Red, Jewel. Fla Red, Avo
Netta, Scarlet, Flame, Pumesila, Tanaka, Mauritius, Tina Red,
Cherry Red, Eureka Red, Honduras.
Orange- Mauritius, Avo Gino, Gino Orange, Sun burst, Suset
Orange, Nitta.
White- Haga White, Ivory, Cotopaxi, Lima White, Acropolis,
Manoa Mist, Trinidad, Meringue White, Lima White.
Pink- Pink Hawaii, Abe Pink, Sonata, Aymara, Candy Stripe,
Agnihotri, Passion, Marian Seefurth, Candy Queen.
Obaque- Red Dragon, Fantasia, Madonna, Lambada, Senator.
Green- Akapana, Esmeralda, Midori.
Pot Varieties-
Coralis, Pumesilo, Rosario, Patino, Condor.
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