Anthurium nigrolaminum

Anthurium nigrolaminum, described by Croat & D.Weber, takes its name from its dark foliage, nigro (black) and lamina (leaf blade). Unlike most of the collector 'black velvet' Anthurium, its elongated cordate leaves are smooth and glossy rather than matte-velvety, with a near-mirror-like sheen that can look almost black in low light and reveals prominent, ribbed parallel venation when caught at an angle. The species is unusually adaptable for a velvet-adjacent Anthurium, occurring across a wide range of habitats from hillside forest to disturbed floodplain edges, in both sun and full shade, on sandy or red-loamy soils. In cultivation, selected clones (most famously the premium 'Gigi' selection) are prized well beyond the plain species and form the basis of several well-known collector hybrids.

Native range

Southern Colombia (Putumayo), eastern Ecuador and northeastern Peru, in tropical moist to wet forest between 160-1250m elevation.

Classification

Genus

Anthurium

Family

Araceae

Type

Wild

Growth habit

Compact terrestrial to epiphytic, self-heading

Morphology

Leaf shape

Elongated cordateHeart-shaped foliage, featuring a rounded notch (sinus) where the leaf stem attaches.

Leaf length

20-40 cm

Leaf width

12-24 cm

Petiole colour

Green to reddish-green

Venation

Prominent, ribbed parallel primary veins

Texture

Smooth, glossy, near-mirror-like (not velvety, unlike most black-leaf Anthurium)

Variegation

None

Growth habit

Compact terrestrialA plant that grows directly in the ground, rooting in soil rather than climbing trees or rocks. to epiphyticA plant that grows on another plant (like a tree) for physical support, absorbing water and nutrients from the air and rain. rosette