Hybrid hype-man.
Emerging leaf, A. ‘Big Trouble’ (magnificum x warocqueanum “JGG”)
Picture Dj Khalid saying “another one” pulling dozens of designer anthurium hybrids out of his kitted out grow room, wearing a shirt with the words “collect hybrids for the hobby” emblazoned on it. Well that’s what my original idea was for this concept, but his people haven’t gotten back to me yet. So you’re stuck with me.
Do an “anthurium hybrid for sale” search engine query and you’ll find offerings on various platforms from hobbyists and commercial growers from all over the world. Hybridizing anthuriums has been happening since the late 1800s but I’m not here for any of that old-school flower stuff; I’m here to stan for the dark velvet foliage anthurium crosses with names like ‘Voodoo Child’, ‘Ace of Spades’, and Midnight Velvet. These are plants meant to be mostly gown in private collections by houseplants enthusiasts and collectors of the exotic. These anthurium creations are meant to be put in pon, bark, and moss. These horticultural hybrids are meant to be staged, displayed, and hashtagged by a smart group of enthusiastic collectors. People interested in these collectible chloroplast want mystical, buzz-worthy, or geographically specific names.
Anthuriums are “free-lovers” by nature, literally it is in their genes to be a bit promiscuous. Why so many anthurium crosses? One reason anthurium crosses are so readily available is because they are easier to make than some other genus of plants valued for ornamental cultivation. Evolution is partially to blame for this abundance of hybrids. Anthurium flowers are “perfect” meaning they enter both male and female stages of the reproductive cycle. This means one single flower will start out receptive to pollen (female stage) when actual droplets form on the flower and fragrant scents meant to attract insect pollinators can be detected by even the human nose. This same flower, if not pollinated during the female stage will then produce its own pollen (male stage). This is important because that pollen can (if handled properly) be stored and used at a later date on another flower in the “female stage”. This leads us to the human accomplice in the anthurium breeding abundance… the hobbyist.
Charles Makay was too late… Let’s take it back to the 1630s when the Dutch were out there throwing around very serious cash for warocqueanum hybrids jkjk it was…. tulips. A great tulpenmanie occurred (I’ve compared this to the 2019-2021 aroidmania in an article available on Apple Books) in the Dutch Republic in which it was not unheard of for bulb-crazed collectors to go bankrupt trying to collect the next Semper Augustus. Orchids have also made great indentions in ornamental horticulture’s commercial balance sheet. Orchidelirium is not just an amazingly fun word to type and say, but was very real Victorian era example of the fiscal-madness plants can cause. While tulips and orchids require quite stuffy, lengthy, and boring technical procedures to produce hybrids; anthuriums are “down to clown” and can go from two flowers in a grow tent to a brand new hybrid seedlings within one calendar year, and basically all you need is a paintbrush and some sphagnum moss. (yes, I know commercially breeding anthuriums on a large scale is very technical and that there are a few more tools required to yield seedlings from flowers in a tent, but this is supposed to be light and easy to read so bare with the technicalities < flow mentality) This allows the hobbyist to become the breeders; and to a certain subset of collectors this adds a whole new level of enticement to growing anthuriums.
I must define “plant hobby” here as my definition of the plant hobby of course encompasses collecting plants that are commercially available and growing them here indoors in North Carolina, photographing the plants I grow here, while also learning about the habitats, culture, and scientific data that pertains to the plants I’m fortunate enough to collect. I also enjoy learning about new anthurium discoveries and learning how to protect the natural habitats of these plants.
Are commercially valuable anthurium hybrids good for the plant hobby? The answer to this question journeys far beyond niche hobbies with designer plants, and lands in the heart of the sacred Amazon. The anthurium discussed in this piece ALL originate from the Latin America, full stop. Every player in the foliage-anthurium breeding game has LatAM to thank for their material. Without the abundant Amazonian flood forests, the paramos teaming with life exploding from rock outcroppings, the misty Andean highlands harboring draconic pebbled-leaf treasures, steamy riparian regions of Panama bringing us papilliaminium, and the literal chock filled Choco region of Colombia constantly revealing new species to science; there would never be any ornamental foliage anthuriums available in northern countries—ever. Science needs to document these species and we need do something to protect the regions they’re endemic to in order for this to happen. As hobbyist that are interested in the treasures of this rich land, it is negligent to think we don’t have added responsibility to ensure we are not in any way contributing to the exploitation of these plants or the lands from which they originate. I’ll go ahead and stop right here and say that nothing we do in regards to collecting ornamental foliage anthuriums is going to stop the deforestation and exploitation of Latin America. No amount of horticultural pressure is going to compare to the: governments, cururptorations, mining interests, narco-terrorists, and other equally as vial entities that orchestrate systemic issues to cripple the socioeconomic platform from which some countries would struggle to recover or ever gain footing in the first place. This is to say that the northern country’s exploitation of the neo-tropics has been devastating on many levels. It is my opinion that it is our responisibitly as collectors of plants that wouldn’t exist without this region of the world, to at least try to not directly add to the incentives to exploit the lands of Latin America. Collecting tropical plants that are bred from plants that were ethically sourced in LatAm and/or grown in the US is at least a responsible way to add the beauties of the neo-tropics to your space. We have sourced what we consider to be a both horticulturally and commercially valuable collection of ornamental foliage anthuriums here in NC of which almost all are either F1-F3 offspring, selflings, intraspecies crosses, “aroid-cultivar” divisions, and novel hybrids— and we hope this article can help to convey that collectors don’t need unethically sourced plants from LatAm to create balling-ass aroid collections.
Valuable hybrids?$?$
Creating a flourishing sustainable anthurium-hybrid market depends on creating value in the biophillic babies being bought and sold. This is only possible in my opinion through detailed record keeping (using available data) both with geographic specifics and chain of custody as well as honest communication with breeders by hobbyists interested in collecting. If a collector is interested in adding a specific (and probably expensive) plant to their collection, it is up to that hobbyist to ensure they’re purchasing a properly labeled and sourced plant, the two are mutually exclusive. If the commercial-source of a neotropical aroid is unwilling to disclose specifics, or gets amnesia when asked about collection data, then I recommend finding another plug. This is not to say every hobbyist needs to have a fully peer-reviewed journal entry taxonomic breakdown or DNA analysis of every plant, but only that if someone is asking me to pay a thousand bucks for a plant they can at least tell where they got the parent plants. This kind of communication can be awkward to a new collector of the exotic, but after a few years working closely with growers and collectors all over the world I can honestly say that if a person offering a plant gets irritated that you’re asking about provenance then they’re not the type of person you want to buy from anyways and there’s always another plant out there.
Hybrids, cultivars(?), selflings, and intraspecies crosses.
Anthurium hybrids is a kind of umbrella term I’m using here to describe a broad group of various types of anthurium crosses available commercially. A true hybrid can be remade and reproduced over and over via the breeding of the exact parent plants. Think about something like “crystal mag” a hobbyist-coined trade name for the commercial darling Anthurium crystallimum x A. magnificum; this is a hybrid that can be reproduced by any hobbyist that grows the parent plants. True hybrids are great because the volume that can be produced allows for palatable prices and great value for collectors looking to add a neotropical vibe to their space. Cultivar is not technically the right term here because it is defined by wikipedia as “A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, or carefully controlled seed production.” but there are certain anthurium hybrids that produce such exceptional individual plants that they are selected to represent the trade name assigned by the breeder and can be propagated and divided to produce clones of that particular anthurium cultivar. These are plants like ‘Voodoo Child’, ‘Black Magic’, and ‘Big Trouble’ which cannot be reproduced by seed production. This allows for anthurium breeders to create exclusive and high-end offerings via hyrbridization; if they have a good eye, patience, good parent plants, and the stomach to discard every other plant from the cross.
Novel hybrids are anthurium creations that have never been created before and are another way to increase the allure of collecting anthurium hybrids. While the usual suspects will produce results that are somewhat expected, a novel hybrid is an uncharted territory in which all is possible. I have several rugulosum novel hybrids growing here in North Carolina; including: Quechua Queen (marmoratum x rugulosum ‘Lago Agrio Rd’) and Carib Queen (dressleri ‘Clone 3’ x rugulosum ‘Lago Agrio Rd’) both created by Jay Vannini and released commercially in 2020. While using plants with desired traits like papilliaminum and dressleri can create a deadly homogeny of velvety black velvet; novel hybrids charter into the realms unknown. Any hybrid that has not been made available to horticulture is a novel hybrid. It is the allure of creation that inspires a certain segment of the botanically inclined to produce the anthurium hybrids that captivate collectors all over the world. When enough novel hybrids are created using plants of provenance the stranglehold that species-purest have on the hobby will be loosened.
Provenance- typically this is a term used to describe the exact collection data available for a particular plant for horticultural and commercial purposes. If there is reliable scientific data that is always preferred when purchasing hybrids of any genus of plant available commercially, BUT this is not always available, AND that is not a bad thing. It is my opinion as a collector of foliage anthuriums that as long as the creator of the hybrid being made available for sale is up front with collectors about the “known data” then there is no reason to suggest that one type of provenance is better than another when it comes to commercial viability. A proven NOID hybrid is as much an ornament of a collection as a plant with exact geographical data IF the collector knew full-well what they were purchasing. The reason provenance is of importance is to build value in collecting hybrid anthuriums. The more data a collector has the more they’re able to connect with the plant, they know the breeder cares about more than just financial gain, the hybrids are valuable because the breeder cares enough to build that value in their botanical creations.
Beautiful Frankenstein. Complex hybrids allow for the testing of the limits of our botanical formulae with impressive examples including Anthurium(forgetii x carlablackiae “Amanda”) x Anthurium“black velvet eastern panama” ‘Felix’. This cross created by Justin Jones is a great example of how accurate data by breeders and growers alike can create commercial and horticultural value in a hybrid involving 2+ plants. The buyer of this complex-novel hybrid knows that they’re getting a plant with a seed parent involving forgetii and a noteworthy example of carlablackiae and that the pollen parent is a selected example of the newly re-discovered species from Panama dubbed BVEP. This allows a potential collector to easily verify exactly which plants were used in this hybrid and make a more informed decision. Accurate nomenclature and data builds value in complex hybrids more than other types of anthurium crosses.
To F3 and beyond. Selflings like SHERM (A. papilliaminum “Ft Sherman’ x self) are one way to add pure species to an anthurium collection. The lineage doesn’t stop there with F2s, by line-breeding it is possible for expert hybridizes to create commercially viable offspring of artificially produced material. When seeking materiel sold as (F-anything) it is important for collectors to ask questions of whomever is selling the plant material. If the breeder/seller/etc can’t provide sufficient details then do not be fooled. There are those looking to use nomenclature to peddle (F4)ake material. It is the responsibility of a breeder to accurately use the terms needed (insomuch as to not purposely mislead a buyer for greater financial success)to describe plants as this greatly impacts the long-term success of anthurium-hybrid-collecting. Not all mislabeling of line-bred material are nefarious in nature, some are indeed born from a genuine lack of knowledge about how plant-breeding works. It is not rude to politely ask a respected purveyor of plants how a certain offering was produced.
Anthurium papillilaminum ‘Ft Sherman’ x self grown indoors in my collection in NC.
Selflings and intraspecies crosses are two ways to add domestically produced pure species to a collection. A selfling is created when a selected plant is self pollinated, like my A. papillilaminum ‘Ft Sherman’ x self seen below. Intraspecies crosses is a cross in which two select individual plants of the same species are bred; an example is BVEP ‘Round’ x ‘Felix’ seen growing in my collection in NC below. These types of crosses allow the genetics of these exceptional parent plants to become commercially available to a wider selection of hobbyists; with the progeny often producing exceptional results.
US produced anthurium hybrids are plentiful and with characteristics and price points to fit any budget. There are also a lot of ethically sourced anthurium hybrids originating from reliable sources elsewhere in the aroid-world ie: the Malay Peninsula, Australia, and the EU. I do recommend you approach any online aroid transaction with the acute level of scrutiny warranted: ask your aroid-breeder where their stock plants originated! Asking about the origin of parent plants is NOT to ensure some designer label “if it doesn’t come from breeder X then its worthless” it is however essential to ask questions in order to make ANY informed purchase. There is not an International Aroid Breeder Union, or a sanctioned set of standards an aroid-baby-maker has to adhere to, and this leads down all kinds of slippery slopes, and the onus relies solely on the collector to ensure they are: (a) getting what they paid for (mislabeling for commercial gain is common) (b) purchasing an ethically sourced plant (c) not getting overcharged (nobody likes that).
Unidentified Breeding Anthurium, UBA hybrids have not been discussed yet and they deserve some time to shine here. Due to an assortment of reasons there are a lot of anthurium hybrids produced with no real way to identify them. To me, as long as the seller is up-front about how they acquired the parent plants then I am fully onboard with UBA, artificially produced, and aesthetically-pleasing plants that are marketed as such. Transparency is key. If you’re looking for dark velvet, texture, or strap leaf anthuriums there is probably a UBA hybrid out there to check all the boxes without breaking the bank account. With NOID hybrids it is just important that the collector be flexible with the desired phenotypic results, as unknown parents will obviously lend an air of mystery to the offspring. One could always ask the breeder for a picture of the older plants available of the particular cross if an idea of the hybrid characteristics is desired, but an open mind is very helpful when adding UBAs to the collection. The value of UBA hybrids cannot be understated as they allow for high volume of human-created hybrids to be commercially available.
Hybrid vigor is forgiving. One of the reasons I personally enjoy collecting anthurium hybrids is the propensity for rapid and easy growth. I’ve grown enough fussy-diva type aroids to say that there’s something refreshing about a plant that gives you dark tropical jungle goth vibes, without requiring 24/7 pampering. The fastest growing anthurium hybrids that I grow here in NC are Viejo Enigma (Anthurium papillilaminum ‘Ft Sherman’ x Anthurium crystallinum ex-Antioquia) and Quechua Queen (marmoratum x rugulosum ‘Lago Agrio Rd’) with both crosses outpacing either parent several times over in leaf development.
Anthurium Quechua Queen emerging leaf in my collection in NC.
The purpose of this note is to highlight the importance of building a valid and robust ornamental foliage anthurium hybrid marketplace and also to expand the meaning of the words “anthurium hybrid”, aiding collectors in making more informed decisions. As collectors of Latin American flora we can incentivize commercial entities to sustainably produce attractive ornamental foliage anthurium offerings by investing in worthy hybrid creations for our personal collection. More data is always better when attempting to make an informed purchase and we as collectors cannot be afraid to ask questions in order to ensure the plants we are spending lots of money on are are up to our high standards.
Good questions to ask:
“Do you have a picture of both parent plants?”
“Do you have lots of variation amongst this seed batch?” - particularly for complex and novel hybrids
“Have you sold this cross before, if so, do you have pictures of the mature seedlings.”
Find a way to nicely and thoughtfully ask the seller if they have any details on the origins of the parent plants as you are a collector that likes to know what they are growing. Wording is key as you may not want to be disrespectful to someone whose botanical creation you’ve deemed worthy of purchase.
If the person selling a plant seem off put by you asking questions about provenance then ensure them you’re satisfied with knowing the commercial source of a given plant’s parents.
“Do you have any details on the origins of the parent plants, I’m a real plant-nerd and really like to build backstories for all of my plants, this is largely done by referring to said plants origin story so as many details as possible is appreciated as I like to be very thorough with my character development.” — Okay this one the seller may automatically think it is me.
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Hybrid hype man
