No aspiring Indoor Jungle is complete without Anthuriums. Like many houseplants lately, they are getting their time under the spotlight. It’s not surprising when you see the incredible (and often silver-veined) foliage of these aroids.
In this post, I list the top 10 Anthurium species that are a must-have for indoor plant enthusiasts! The list is in no particular order, and there are many species that I won’t be covering, but these are a good start because most of them are available commercially from specialty vendors to private growers on Etsy, eBay and Facebook.
Time to get your Plant Wishlist out!
Anthurium veitchii
The “King” of all Anthuriums…Anthurium veitchii! An extremely popular plant, and it’s easy to see why. The glossy, rippled leaves can grow between 4 and 5 feet long and drape down in a pendant fashion. Yes, majestic is the perfect description for this plant. But surprisingly, this plant does not need the royal treatment. It thrives with benign neglect and does not need to be fussed over. It hardly reacts to the stress of shipping (even a two-week long shipment…from Florida! Yeah, I’ll talk about that in another Plant Haul blog post). I managed to snag a young seedling from eBay for a steal at $27. This is why I highly recommend saving your product searches on eBay and monitoring the daily notification emails. You’ll never know what you might come across!
An even better source would be Etsy. There are usually a couple of rare plant growers that offer seedlings for $50 or less. If you don’t have the hundreds of dollars to buy a mature plant, raising a young plant may be your best option.
Anthurium warocqueanum
Of course, the King will need a “Queen”! Enter Anthurium warocqueanum, a.k.a. the Queen Anthurium. This splendid plant has long, pendant leaves like its royal counterpart, the King Anthurium, but instead of the rippled “abs” texture, her leaves are dark and velvety, laced with white veins. Unfortunately, unlike the King Anthuriums, the Queens tend to be a little diva-ish. Their care requirements are a little more involved and they are generally do not appreciate being shipped.
Prices tend to be pretty steep for Anthurium warocqueanum, both on Etsy and eBay. I’m not a fan of bidding on eBay, but you may possibly be able to acquire a plant for cheaper depending on how the auction goes.
Anthurium clarinervium
If you love heart-shaped leaves, then you better put both Anthurium clarinervium and Anthurium crystallinum (mentioned below) on your Plant Wishlist! Anthurium clarinervium features thick, dark green leaves with vividly contrasting white veins. The leaf texture is less like velvet and more like suede. It can be a bit difficult differentiating between A. clarinervium and A. crystallinum because they look so similar. One difference is that after their flowers are pollinated, A. clarinervium will develop orange berries while A. crystallinum will have white to purplish berries.
The best place to acquire this plant would be Etsy. Ebay is OK, if you want to bid on one, but it’s not something that I personally prefer.
For more Anthurium care tips, check out these articles:
Anthurium crystallinum
Anthurium crystallinum is next on the list because it’s so similar to Anthurium clarinervium. If you like one of these species, chances are you’ll like the other just as much. This plant is much more commonly found in cultivation, and their prices are generally a bit less steep than the other species mentioned in this post. They are readily available on eBay and Etsy.
Anthurium magnificum
As its botanical name suggests, Anthurium magnificum is just that— magnificent. It looks like an (extremely) oversized version of Anthurium clarinervium or crystallinum. The leaves are thick and heavy with a velvety texture. Because of the weight of its tremendous foliage, Anthurium magnificum needs vertical support in order to grow to its full potential.
You can find them here on Etsy and eBay.
Anthurium regale
If Anthurium veitchii is “The King” and Anthurium warocqueanum is “The Queen”, then Anthurium regale should be considered “The Prince.” Their dark leaves have a suede-like texture and bright veining. When maintained in ideal conditions, they can grow into huge, impressive specimens and can look quite regal as their names suggests. Anthurium regale are not as readily available as other species, and only a few can be found available on Etsy and eBay.
Anthurium forgetii
Anthurium forgetii is the cute, petite sibling among all of the other flamboyant Anthurium family members. Unlike the aforementioned Anthuriums on this list, Anthurium forgetii has no upper lobes and no sinus which results in leaves that are not heart-shaped. The upper edge of the leaves are peltate (or, very round). They seem to come in two forms: a vivid, silver-veined variety, and a more muted variety that (mostly) lacks the bright veining.
Anthurium forgetii are rarely found in cultivation (and for sale). Only Etsy appears to have a handful of them available at any given time. So if you find one within your budget, make sure you grab it!
Anthurium wendlingeri
Anthurium wendlingeri is a pendulous, strap-leaved Anthurium. There are several different species of strap-leaved Anthuriums, but what is fun and fascinating about Anthurium wendlingeri is that their inflorescences form a corkscrew when in bloom! They remind me of twisted party streamers.
This particular species is very rarely found in cultivation and is not easy to get ahold of.
Anthurium villenoarum
Anthurium villenoarum is a seldom-mentioned plant when Anthuriums are discussed, which is a shame. This plant looks almost like a small, lighter-green version of Anthurium warocqueanum with its thick white veins and long, tapered leaves. Unlike most Anthuriums that want to climb, however, this species has a compact growth habit and forms more of a rosette. The leaf petioles are especially unique due to its triangular shape, which is a rarely found characteristic in Anthuriums.
Because of its rarity, only a handful of plants are offered on Etsy.
Anthurium angamarcanum
Anthurium angamarcanum is another lesser-known, but gloriously stunning velvet-leaf Anthurium. The dark-hued leaves are so velvety that it can give them an extra shiny reflection. Mature plants can look quite similar to Anthurium warocqueanum, although a possibly a bit lighter in color and much wider. This species is extremely hard to find in cultivation; purchasing from specialty growers may be the only option.
Last Thoughts
And that concludes our “Top 10 Anthuriums You Must Have!” Have you added anything new on your Plant Wishlist? Do you have a particular species that you think is totally awesome that’s not included in this post? Share what you think in the comments! I actually have fourteen Anthurium species on my Plant Wishlist (and more to come, I’m sure!), so collecting them all will probably be a life-long journey. But that’s OK, because that’s what being a plant lover is all about—learning and collecting and sharing your passion for as long as you live.
Always Keep Growing,
Heather (a.k.a. The Botanical Chick)
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I wish to know more about my anthurium up to now we dont know which variety it is maybe you can help if it os rare
Hi Bryan, I would be happy to take a look if you have a picture of it. I can’t guarantee that I would know exactly what it is, because there are almost a thousand different species of Anthuriums (not including hybrids).
a complete and useful article, thank you for the information, I like it.
i like anthurium plant,useful article, thanks for information.