Anthurium gracile - Red Pearls Anthurium leaves are erect, thin, oblanceolate, 11-32 cm long, 3-8.5 cm wide, acuminate at apex, gradually tapered...
Anthurium gracile, also called as Red Pearls Anthurium, Anthurium acuminatum, Anthurium belangeri, Anthurium gracile subsp. belangeri, Anthurium gracile var. poiteanum, Anthurium inconditum, Anthurium longipes, Anthurium macilentum, Anthurium poiteanum Kunth Anthurium poiteauanum Schott Anthurium rudgeanum Schott Anthurium scolopendrinum Kunth Anthurium scolopendrinum var. belangeri (Engl.) Engl. Anthurium scolopendrinum var. contractum Engl. Pothos gracilis Rudge Pothos scolopendrinus Ham. Pothos scolopendrioides, is a species in the genus Anthurium. This species was described by John Lindley in 1834.
DESCRIPTION OF ANTHURIUM GRACILE - RED PEARLS ANTHURIUM
Anthurium gracile is native to Trinidad to Central and Southern Tropical America. It is found growing on trees with the white roots clamping onto the trees branches in tropical moist forest of Belize, Bolivia, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil West-Central, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panamá, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela at elevations of 10-2300 meters above sea level.
It is an epiphyte perennial species with wwhite roots and 1.5-3 cm long, erect stem. The leaves are erect, thin, oblanceolate, 11-32 cm long, 3-8.5 cm wide, acuminate at apex, gradually tapered to long-cuneate at base; the upper surface matte to semiglossy.
Red Pearls Anthurium blooms from the erect inflorescence that consists of a sessile, purple-brown spadix and membranaceous, red-violet, lanceolate to oblong-elliptic or ovate-elliptic spathe that surrounds the spadix on a 13-40 cm long peduncle. The fruits develop from the flowers on the spadix and are bright red, held on an pendent infructescence.
ANTHURIUM GRACILE - RED PEARLS ANTHURIUM CARE AND CULTURE
Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.
Light:
Anthurium gracile love shade. Long exposure to direct sunlight will typically burn flowers and foliage. Give them a good shady area to grow. However, do not deprive them of all sunlight. Ideally 75-80% shade is best. Extremely low light levels can shut down flower production. If that happens, move your anthuriums to an area that receives more light and wait for flower production to resume.
When grown indoors the plant will take about as much light as you can provide them with - but not direct sunlight. Place plant in an area with good, bright, diffused light. Try to place the plant between 5 and 8 feet from a window.
Temperature:
Red Pearls Anthurium grow best with day temperatures of 25 to 32 °C and night temperatures of 21 to 24 °C. A high temperature will results in drying of the foliage and flowers and finally ends with the fading of the plant. Night temperatures of between 4 to 10 °C can result in slow growth and yellowing of lower leaves. A temperature below 16 °C will kill the plant. It is also be affected by temperature above 32 °C. Keep your plant away from heat ducts, ventilator grills and drafts.
Substrate and growing media:
Anthurium gracile grow best in a well-aerated medium with good water retention capability and with good drainage. A good medium needs to be able to anchor the roots and stem so that the plant will not topple over as it grows larger, yet provide sufficient moisture, nutrients, and aeration to the plant. Organic matter (i.e., wood shavings, sugar cane bagasse, tree fern chips, taro peel, macadamia nut shells, or coffee parchment), volcanic cinder, or an artificial medium (i.e., rockwool, polyfenol foam) can serve as a good medium to anchor roots for anthurium plant growth and flower production.
At some point in time, your plant will need to be repotted. Symptoms will include severe root massing at the base of the plant, bulging on the sides of the pot (if it's plastic), and overall loss of plant vigor. Repot your plant early in the year, when new roots start to grow. Use a 6 to 7 inch (15-16.25 cm) pot filled half way with rocks. When repotting, as much as possible try to match the same media that your anthurium is already growing in. This will help your plant to root faster into the new media.
Watering:
Red Pearls Anthurium prefers high humidity and moist media. However, over-watering can cause root damage and sudden yellowing of leaves. While the plants love moisture, they do not like saturated media. So make sure to monitor your watering. Light, frequent watering is preferred to heavy soakings. Let the soil dry out in between watering. If you live in a hot area, water about once every 2 to 3 days; if you live in a rainy area, then water as necessary. Don't forget a light misting on the leaves to help with the humidity.
Too much drying of the plant will cease the plant growth and burns the tip of the plant. The plant prefers a winter rest at 15 °C for about 6 weeks with little water. It helps plant to bloom profusely in the next season.
Fertilizer:
Most growers use a slow time-release fertilizer monthly on their plants. Their roots are very sensitive to uncoated quick-release fertilizers, which can burn their sensitive roots. Even powder organic fertilizers can cause root burn. Liquid fertilizers may be applied as foliar applications or incorporated at lower concentrations into surface irrigation water. Most foliar fertilizers for orchids will work well with this plant. Consistency will be the key.
Pests and diseases:
Thrips will be your worst insect problem. They can damage flowers and leaves, causing large brown streaks. In severe cases, the leaves and flowers will become severely disfigured. Don't let it get to this point. The best method to control thrips is to monitor your plants and treat them quickly before they get out of hand.
Keeping your plants and their surroundings clean is good preventative measure. Pinching off unopen thrip-damaged flower buds and disposing of them in a sealed bag is another good control measure. That way you will get rid of thrips feeding inside of the infested buds before they have had a chance to come out and disperse to other plants.
The single most important disease of anthuriums is called 'Anthurium Blight'. This is a bacterial disease with no know cure. Once the plant becomes infected, and the disease becomes systemic, the only course of action is to destroy the plant before it can infect other plants in your collection.
Since there is no cure, the best course of action is prevention. Quarantining new plants, keeping your existing plants in good health, scouting for early signs of infection, and isolating suspect plants can go a long way towards preventing this disease from being introduced into your collection.
Propagation:
Over time, Anthurium gracile will shoot multiple plants from the same pot. By careful division of the mother plant, you can create multiple plant clones from just one plant. Division will also provide each plant with actively growing roots, which will in turn give you faster plant recovery.
Cuttings will require more patience. The plants will become leggy and appear to be growing aerial roots. This is when you should consider taking cuttings. The cutting will consist of severing the leggy growth from the mother plant and planting it into a new pot.
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