Anthurium splendidum
Splendid Anthurium
UK price
£80 to £300
Estimate
Price by size
- Sold, 90 days
- 0
- Middle half
- -
- Last sold
- -
- On record
- 0
Cutting/cormNone
7cmNone
12cmNone
MatureNone
- Sale
- Typical
- Middle half
- Estimate
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Recent UK sales
No UK eBay sales recorded for this plant yet.
For sale in the UK
Before you buy
- Check the growing point (the newest, unopened leaf) for firmness — softness here usually means rot has already reached the crown
- Look at the root system through the drainage holes if possible; healthy roots are firm and pale, not brown and mushy
- Given the price of this species, ask for provenance or recent photos rather than relying on an old listing image
- Look for the matte, slightly glaucous slate-green finish that distinguishes true splendidum from glossier lookalikes
About Anthurium splendidum
Where most velvet anthuriums go for high-gloss drama, Anthurium splendidum works in a quieter register: thick, heavily bullate, depressed cordate leaves in dark green to a distinctive slate-grey-green, finished matte and glaucous rather than glossy. Described by W.Bull, it belongs to the splendidum complex, a group of Colombian understory species known for heavy leaf texture and subdued, architectural form, growing on the forest floor or low on roots and woody debris in deep shade with excellent drainage. Leaves rise from a close-formed, short-stemmed crown. Among collectors it's regarded as one of the most desirable textured anthuriums, and one of the harder ones to actually obtain.
Native range
Colombia (wet tropical forest understory)
Classification
- Genus
- Anthurium
- Family
- Araceae
- Type
- Wild
- Growth habit
- Compact terrestrial, short-stemmed
Morphology
- Leaf shape
- CordateHeart-shaped foliage, featuring a rounded notch (sinus) where the leaf stem attaches., heavily bullate and depressed
- Leaf length
- 25-50 cm
- Leaf width
- 20-40 cm
- Petiole colour
- Short to medium, green
- Venation
- Deeply sunken veins forming pronounced bullate cells
- Texture
- Strongly bullate, thick-substanced, glaucous matte finish
- Variegation
- None
- Growth habit
- Close-crowned basal rosette, terrestrialA plant that grows directly in the ground, rooting in soil rather than climbing trees or rocks. to low epiphyteA plant that grows on another plant (like a tree) for physical support, absorbing water and nutrients from the air and rain.
Anthurium splendidum care
- Substrate
- A chunky, open aroid mix — equal parts orchid bark, perlite and coco chunk, with a smaller portion of moss or coco coir for moisture retention — mimics the loose, well-aerated conditions this species roots into naturally. Excellent drainage matters more than usual here; splendidum's native habitat is specifically noted for it.
- Watering
- Water thoroughly, then let the top third of the mix dry before watering again. Velvet-leaf anthuriums are more sensitive to root rot than most houseplants, so err on the side of underwatering rather than keeping it constantly damp.
- Humidity
- Very high, 80-90%, in low, indirect light. A closed cabinet or terrarium is close to essential rather than optional.
- Feeding
- Feed at quarter to half strength every 2 weeks in the growing season with a balanced, nitrogen-forward fertiliser; drop to monthly over winter. Heavy fertilising scorches the fine root system faster than it helps growth.
- Repotting
- Repot every 12-18 months, or when roots fill the pot and start pushing the plant upward. Choose a pot only slightly larger than the current one; these dislike being over-potted into a large volume of slow-drying mix.
Common problems
Root rot
Cause: Substrate that stays wet, often from a mix that's too dense or a pot with poor drainage
Fix: Repot into a chunkier mix immediately, trim away any mushy roots, and let the plant recover in a smaller pot before sizing up again
Glossy rather than matte, glaucous leaf finish
Cause: Light too bright, or humidity inconsistent, for the characteristic slate-toned surface to develop
Fix: Keep light low and indirect with steady high humidity rather than treating it like a brighter, glossier velvet species
Thrips or spider mite damage
Cause: Dry air and still conditions, especially indoors over winter
Fix: Increase humidity and airflow together, and treat visible pest damage with a systemic or contact treatment rather than water alone
Gear for this plant
- Premium New Zealand Sphagnum Moss, 100gLong-fibre sphagnum for air-layering, top-dressing, and epiphyte substrate mixes.
- Natural Rooting Powder, 3 x 75gRooting hormone powder for stem and leaf cuttings.
- Precision Bonsai Pruning Scissors, 200mmFine-bladed snips for clean node cuts when taking a cutting.
- Full-Spectrum LED Grow Light Panel144-LED panel with IR and UV for supplementing light in low-light rooms.
How to propagate Anthurium splendidum
- Methods
- Stem cutting, Offset (keiki). Step-by-step guide
- Difficulty
- Challenging. Needs stable humidity, consistent moisture, and bright indirect light to thrive. Best suited to experienced aroid growers.
- Time to establish
- 8-14 months
- Notes
- Divides cleanly at the base once a plant has produced multiple growth points — separate with a clean cut, dust with cinnamon or a fungicide, and pot each division into fresh, chunky aroid mix. Top cuttings with at least one node and aerial root also root reliably in damp sphagnum, though slowly on this species.