Species in the Collection
Rainforest Tour
Orchids
The
Exotic Rainforest
Plants in
the Exotic Rainforest Collection
Images on this website are
Copyright protected. They are not in the public domain! Contact us before
attempting to reuse.
Detailed information on Growing Anthurium Species
Click this Link
Important Notice:
We do not sell Anthurium or seeds.
The Exotic Rainforest is a private botanical garden.
Looking for
a specimen? Contact Natural Selections Exotics at
www.NSExotics.com
Within our collection we have over 35 species of Anthurium. If you are seeking other photos, click this link:
Anthurium
pendulifolium
N.E. Br.
Anthurium
pendulifolium
N.E. Br.
"yakiya sugkip", "kakur
nuka" and "meko uko"
Found from Colombia in the northern part of South American southward through northern Peru, Anthurium pendulifolium is an epiphytic (a plant that grows on a plant) giant anthurium that hangs pendently from its host' tree. Living in tropical moist and tropical wet rainforests, it is also found growing terrestrially, but rarely. To say this anthurium gets big is an understatement. It gets enormous! The leaves can reach 3 meters (10 feet). The petioles (stems) which support the leaves can reach up to 1 1/2 times the length of the blade! Found largely in the jungles of Ecuador this tree dwelling epiphyte is said to be a fast grower and one of the easiest of the anthurium family to grow. Personal experience would qualify that as a true statement. In just over 18 months our specimen has attained leaves of 75cm (30 inches). Some literature suggests the plant can be commonly found in Colombia but according to the journals of Dr. Tom Croat of the Missouri Botanical Garden no specimen from Colombia accurately matches the type specimen. 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.
The native tribes of Ecuador have numerous "common" names for A. pendulifolium. Those include "yakiya sugkip", "kakur nuka" and "meko uko". If you're one of those plant growers who prefer to use common names rather than a scientific name try one of those! I'll stick with Anthurium pendulifolium (pen-DUL-i-fol-i-um)! Those tribes use the plant medicinally making a bath from boiled leaves which is used to treat bone aches and rheumatism. Something tells me a visit to the doctor would be cheaper than cutting apart a rare anthurium! The spathe (flower) is pale yellowish-green to creamy white and is reflexed and twisted. The berries are pale purple. Our specimen was started in a hanging basket with good soil, peat, orchid potting media, Perlite™ and crushed volcanic rock. Those materials were used to approximate the falling debris that would be collected by the plant's root system to hold moisture. Once well established it was moved to a 30 cm (12 inch) orchid basket which is now suspended from the ceiling of the atrium. The material attached to the roots was not disturbed. The wooden basket offers numerous advantages. First, since the plant is a tree dweller with leaf blades that hang downward (pendently) the basket allows the plant to be suspended high enough to accommodate the plant's needs while offering the roots a natural surface to which they can attach. Second, the basket allows the roots to hang downward as in nature. And third, the orchid basket allows for rapid drainage similar to what Anthurium pendulifolium experiences in the rainforest. During the heat of the summer the plant is watered daily and during the "dry season" it is watered 3 days each week.
The plant in the photo is not my
plant. That specimen is in the collection of Enid and Sam Offolter at
Natural Selections Exotics in Fort Lauderdale, FL. As a plant
collector I strongly recommend you visit Enid and Sam's website
which can be located on our link's page. You can find that page at the
bottom of the homepage of this website.
Photo Courtesy: Enid Offolter
Pollinate your own Aroids!
As
it occurs in nature and by any horticulturist
Join the International Aroid Society: http://www.exoticrainforest.com/Join%20IAS.html
Need more information on Anthurium species? Click this link.
