Anthurium crystallinum hybrid

Anthurium crystallinum hybrid

From the grower’s journal - Nensina Murmu

General Information:

Mother parent plant: Anthurium crystallinum

Family: Araceae

Anthurium crystallinum hybrid (the Kerala hybrid) is a species of flowering plant of the Araceae family with its mother parent A. crystallinum (discovered by Gustave Wallis in Colombia in 1872 and described by Linden and André in 1873) being a native to the rainforests of Central and South America (Photo 1). It is an epiphyte perennial evergreen plant with heart-shaped leaves and a velvety texture (Croat and Sheffer, 1983). The hybrid's ((Photo 2 and 3) colour varies from dark green to slightly lighter green. The leaves have prominent silver veins. The petiole of the leaf can be either round or D-shaped. The pollen parent in this case is unknown (Photo 2 and 3). The inflorescence contains a light green spathe with a pale yellowish green spadix that grows red berries upon pollination throughout the year.

The A. crystallinum hybrid is a hardy aroid plant that can sustain harsh Indian weather with certain limitations. With proper care, it can size up fast, growing bigger and broader leaves. Its lush foliage makes it a perfect indoor plant that enhances the aesthetic of your home and garden.

Soil Composition:

Generally, anthuriums grow in a well-draining nutrient-enriched aroid mix when grown indoors. As they are epiphytes, their roots require more aeration. However, certain terrestrial anthuriums grow well on floor beds while their epiphytic roots span the surface. Their soil composition is similar to those of orchids. But unlike orchids, the foliage anthuriums like more water due to their larger leaves and greater transpiration rate.

A grower’s aroid mix consists of the following:

Coco chips, pumice, perlite, charcoal, and leca. This can be modified depending on your environment and climatic conditions. I personally add cocopeat and rice husk to this mixture along with pine barks to reduce the watering periods. The coco chips, pumice, perlite, charcoal, and leca mixture is a chunky and well-draining mix that requires more watering preferably twice to thrice a week depending on the season and the temperature of the place. With the addition of cocopeat, this time can be reduced to once per week. It is advised to drench the soil well after potting the plant in this mix to prevent increased salinity due to the various ingredients of the composition. However, once the plant has acclimated to the environment and grown bigger, it can be transferred to a soil bed with looser soil made from cocopeat, rice husk, dried leaves and compost. Small plants have smaller leaves and the transpiration rate is lesser hence it is not recommended to grow them in the soil bed as excess water can lead to root rot. Also, the size of the pot should be gradually increased by repotting the plant every 6-8 months for a few years before planting them in the soil bed and till a good size has been achieved to avoid shock to the roots and root rot.

Temperature:

The anthurium hybrids are more resilient than the pure forms and can sustain climatic variations. However, the threshold is 18°C to 36°C. To avoid damage to the leaves, I mist them regularly on summer when there is a heat wave warning. To avoid temperature fluctuations, I place them in the shade or balcony with a lot of indirect light throughout the year. In winters, if the outside temperature drops below 18°C, I move them indoors under a grow light or place them near a well-lit window. It is usually winter dormant and grows actively from spring to autumn.

Humidity:

Anthuriums love humidity which is advised to be maintained between 60-90%. In summer, I mist them regularly, twice a day, preferably morning and evening. My indoor setup has humidifiers which help maintain the required humidity. Though natural humidity of 50% and above is sufficient to keep the plant thriving, higher humidity, especially in dry climates makes it easier for new leaves to unfurl better, avoids leaf shrinkage, wrinkling, leaf deformity and tear, helps in sizing up the leaves and keeps them protected against harmful pests.

Light conditions:

Anthuriums in nature grow inside a rainforest with no direct light. The light can be between 2000– 10000 lux. My A. crystallinum hybrid grows well in my balcony where the light is between 3000-5000 lux. Lighting conditions can affect the texture of the leaves. The leaves with lower light usually grow more velvety and darker compared to those grown in more light.

Fertilizing routine:

The A. crystallinum hybrid loves a well-balanced nutrient-rich soil. I usually fertilize it twice a month with a balanced fertilizer or with osmocote once in 6 months. The potting mix also contains low doses of bone meal that I add while preparing the potting mix.

Overall, A. crystallinum hybrid is one of the easiest foliage anthuriums to grow and is aesthetically pleasing. Though there is not much information on the air-purifying capability of A. crystallinum, its closer relative Anthurium andreanum, which is a model plant for anthurium research has been found to have the ability to purify the air of harmful gases including formaldehyde, xylene, toluene and ammonia (Bhati, n.d.) and benzene (Li et al., 2024).

References:

Croat, T.B., Sheffer, R.D., n.d. The Sectional Groupings of Anthurium (Araceae).

Li, D., Wang, H., Gao, Q., Lu, M., 2024. Study on the ability of indoor plants to absorb and purify benzene pollution. Sci Rep 14, 13169. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-63811-4

Bhati MI. Chapter-2 Advances in Production Technology of Anthurium.