Anthurium peltigerum

The petiole on Anthurium peltigerum meets the underside of the blade rather than its edge, a peltate attachment that gives the leaf a distinctive shield-like silhouette and the species its name. It grows epiphytically on trees and fallen logs (occasionally on the forest floor) across wet tropical forest from Central America through to north-western South America, in deep shade with consistently high humidity. Thick, coriaceous, deeply glossy dark green leaves sit on a compact plant with short internodes and visible aerial roots. That unusual leaf architecture is what draws collectors to it.

Native range

Central America to NW South America (wet tropical forest, epiphytic)

Classification

Genus

Anthurium

Family

Araceae

Type

Wild

Growth habit

Compact epiphyte to low-climber

Morphology

Leaf shape

Broadly cordateHeart-shaped foliage, featuring a rounded notch (sinus) where the leaf stem attaches., peltate (petiole attaches to underside of blade)

Leaf length

20-40 cm

Leaf width

18-35 cm

Petiole colour

Green, medium length

Venation

Prominent midrib, pinnateVeins or lobes arranged like a feather, branching out symmetrically on both sides of a single main central vein. lateral veins

Texture

Thick, coriaceous, glossy

Variegation

None

Growth habit

Compact epiphyteA plant that grows on another plant (like a tree) for physical support, absorbing water and nutrients from the air and rain. with short internodes and visible aerial roots