Anthurium watermaliense
Costa Rica to Colombia.
First described by Liberty Hyde Bailey and George Valentine Nash. (1914)
Glossy green leaves with dark, often purplish to black spathes in flower; foliage is usually not the main show compared with velvet species.
Upright flowering Anthurium species grown for dark spathes as well as foliage; culturally closer to flamingo-flower types than velvet collectors.
Named from Watermal, a locality/name associated with its horticultural history.
Accepted Anthurium species. POWO lists it as a subshrub from Costa Rica to Colombia.
Grow warm in bright filtered light with excellent drainage and steady humidity. Keep evenly lightly moist, never stale and waterlogged.
Use a chunky aroid mix with bark, perlite/pumice, and moisture-retentive organic matter. Repot gently when roots fill the pot.
Monthly at quarter to half strength during active growth. Flush occasionally if using mineral fertiliser.
- Root rot in dense media; leaf edge burn from dry air or salts; spider mites, scale, or mealybug; cold damage below comfortable indoor temperatures.
- Useful for users searching “black Anthurium”; this is not the same as the many dark-leaf velvet collector plants.