Anthurium metallicum

Botanical origin of Anthurium metallicum

Anthurium metallicum occurs at about 2,400–2,500 m in Colombia’s Antioquia and Caldas departments. It inhabits wet tropical or montane forest, where plants may root on trees or among mossy rocks. Moisture is frequent, while water drains rapidly around the roots.

Care for Anthurium metallicum

• Light: Give the plant bright indirect or filtered light. Protect it from strong direct rays or long periods of direct exposure, especially hot midday or afternoon sun through unshaded glass. Filter the rays with a sheer curtain or shade, or move the plant back until they no longer strike the leaves and it is clear of excessive heat near the window.
• Position: Leave room above and around the plant for the rising stem, broad blades and descending adventitious roots. Use a stable pot or support if the stem begins to lean.
• Temperature and airflow: Keep the plant in steady indoor warmth with gentle air movement, away from radiators, cold draughts and sudden temperature changes.
• Watering and substrate: Water when the upper layer begins to dry. Use a porous aroid mix that holds some moisture around the roots, then let the pot drain completely.
• Stem roots: Guide fresh flexible roots into the mix or onto a lightly moist support. Do not force older hardened roots into a new direction.

Common problems with Anthurium metallicum

• Leaf margins curl or crisp although the mix is still moist: Dry heat, a strong air current or salt build-up may be involved. Move the plant away from the heat source, flush the mix when watering is due and avoid adding more water until the upper layer begins to dry.
• A pale tan patch forms on the upper surface: A leaf exposed to strong direct sun or excessive heat at a hot unshaded window can develop a dry pale patch. Shift the plant out of that hot exposure and judge the change from subsequent leaves, because the marked tissue will remain.
• Fresh stem roots dry at their tips: The roots may be extending into dry air before reaching the substrate or support. Guide flexible tips towards a lightly moist surface, but leave rigid roots in their existing position.

Anthurium metallicum 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.

About the name Anthurium metallicum

The genus name Anthurium combines Greek anthos, “flower”, and oura, “tail”, referring to the tail-like spadix. The epithet metallicum is Latin for metallic, referring to the sheen of the leaves.

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

Heinrich Wilhelm Schott first described Anthurium metallicum in 1860 in Prodromus Systematis Aroidearum, page 506; Jean Jules Linden had proposed the name.