Anthurium villenaorum

Dark green to nearly black leaves with bold, contrasting pale venation put Anthurium villenaorum in the same conversation as the finest velvet anthuriums grown today. Described by Croat, it's a compact epiphyte from the humid, shaded montane rainforest of Peru's San Martín region, growing on tree trunks and branches in high humidity and filtered light year-round. Short petioles and a tight crown with visible ephemeral roots give it a neat habit; inflorescences rarely appear in cultivation. Difficult to grow to its full potential outside a precisely controlled environment, it's one of the more discussed species among advanced Anthurium collectors specifically because so few have actually grown it well.

Native range

Peru (San Martín region, humid shaded montane rainforest)

Classification

Genus

Anthurium

Family

Araceae

Type

Wild

Growth habit

Compact epiphyte, self-heading

Morphology

Leaf shape

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

Leaf length

20-40 cm

Leaf width

14-28 cm

Petiole colour

Short, dark green to reddish

Venation

Bold, contrasting pale venation on near-black velvety blade

Texture

Velvety

Variegation

None

Growth habit

Tight compact crown with visible ephemeral roots, epiphyticA plant that grows on another plant (like a tree) for physical support, absorbing water and nutrients from the air and rain.