This is one of the rarest specimens in the Exotic Rainforest collection.  Our Anthurium moonenii was a gift from Joep Moonen (pronounced yupe or jupe), a Dutch naturalist and rain forest explorer living in French Guiana.  The aroid was exported legally by Joep (with documents) from French Guiana along with three other rare specimens specifically for our collection.

The exquisite tri-lobed Anthurium was named in honor of Joep.  Anthurium moonenii was first discovered by the rain forest expert in the north eastern portion of French Guiana.  He was fortunate to locate the original specimen in 1991 and brought it to the attention of Dr. Tom Croat of the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis.  Dr. Croat did all the original botanical work on the species verifying it was a previously unknown and unpublished Anthurium species.  When it was  published Dr. Croat honored Joep by granting the Anthurium Joep's last name. 

Anthurium moonenii was for some time considered to be exclusively found in French Guiana.  However, Dr. Eduardo Conçalves, Brazil's most prominent aroid botanist, has since found Anthurium moonenii in the Amazonas State in northern Brazil.  However, Anthurium species are known to be highly variable and not every leaf of every specimen will always appear the same.  This link explains in greater detail the scientific principals of natural variation and morphogenesis.  Click here.