anthurium

/an thoor"ee euhm/, n.

any tropical American plant belonging to the genus Anthurium, of the arum family, certain species of which are cultivated for their glossy red heart-shaped bract surrounding a rodlike spike of tiny yellow flowers.

[1829; < NL Anthurium, equiv. to anth- ANTH- + -urium < Gk our(á) tail + NL -ium -IUM]

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Any plant of the genus Anthurium, comprising about 600 tropical herbaceous species in the arum family, many of which are popular foliage plants.

A few species are widely grown for the florist trade for their showy, long-lasting blossoms; these include the flamingo lily (A. andraeanum), which boasts a salmon-red flower, and the flamingo flower, or pigtail plant (A. scherzeranum), which has a scarlet flower.

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▪ plant genus

      genus of tropical American herbaceous plants, comprising about 825 species in the arum family (Araceae), many of which are popular foliage plants. A few species are widely grown for the florist trade for their showy, long-lasting blossoms, which consist of colourful leathery, shiny spathes surrounding or subtending a central rodlike spadix that bears numerous tiny bisexual flowers.

      Flamingo lily (A. andraeanum), with stems up to 60 cm (2 feet) tall, has a salmon-red, heart-shaped spathe about 5–8 cm (2–3 inches) long; its hybrids produce white, pink, salmon, red, and black-red spathes. Flamingo flower, or pigtail plant (A. scherzeranum), is a shorter plant with a scarlet spathe and a loosely coiled orange-red spadix. Because anthuriums require warm temperatures and high humidity, they are usually grown under greenhouse conditions.

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