Anthurium waterburyanum

Morphology

About

Anthurium waterburyanum is a hemiepiphytic species endemic to northwestern Ecuador, where seedlings begin life as epiphytes before sending roots down to the forest floor. It is grown almost entirely for its large, cordate leaves, which carry a dense velvety texture and deep, near-black green colouring set off by pale, sunken primary veins. The broad, heart-shaped blades sit on stout, upright petioles and can reach substantial size on a mature plant, giving it real presence as a specimen. It sits alongside Anthurium warocqueanum as a benchmark velvet-leaf species and is frequently used as breeding stock for velvet-leaf hybrids.