ANTHOXANTHUM 



ANTHURIUM 



301 



ANTHOXANTHUM (Greek, anthos, flower, and 

 xanthos, yellow). Gramlnex. Aromatic grasses with 

 spike-like panicles. Spikelets with 1 awnless perfect 

 floret, and two 2-lobed, awned sterile lemmas. Species 4, 

 Eu. A perennial species, sweet vernal grass (A. 

 odoratum, Linn.), is occasionally cult, as a meadow 

 grass to give a pleasant odor to hay. Dept. of Agric., 

 Div. of Agrost., Bull. 20:55. Another species, an annual 

 (A. Puelii, Lecq. & Lam.), is more rarely cult. 



A. S. HITCHCOCK. 



ANTHRiSCUS: Cherril. 



ANTHURTUM (Greek, tail-flower). Aracese. Choice 

 hothouse foliage plants. 



Perennial, the st. creeping, climbing, assurgent or 

 arborescent: Ivs. variable, net- veined, with a promi- 

 nent midnerve and lateral nerves, and a well-defined 

 nerve at or near the margin: fls. in a spike (spadix), 

 subtended or inclosed in the spathe: fr. a berry. 

 Tropical herbs and climbing plants of perhaps 608 

 species besides varieties, mostly from the central and 

 warmer parts of S. Amer., though probably not one- 

 tenth are in cult, in this country. Grown either for their 

 showy spathes and spadices, or their handsome velvety 

 Ivs. Spathe usually spreading or even reflexed, only 

 rarely partially inclosing the spadix. Differs from 

 Alocasia and allied genera in technical characters. 

 Monogr. by Engler in De Candolle's Monographic 

 Phanerogamarum, Vol. 2 (1879), and Pflanzenreich, 

 hft. 21 (1905). 



The genus Anthurium appears to be a constantly 

 increasing one as regards the number of species. Index 

 Kewensis, when first issued in 1893, gave the number of 

 known species as 213. The supplements have now 

 recognized 365 more species, making in all about 

 578 known species, though there are probably not 

 more than fifty in cultivation in this country and 

 perhaps not more than ten or fifteen known to the 

 trade. Of those that are in cultivation there are several 

 varieties or hybrids, as the species seem to cross 

 readily. 



Anthuriums are tropical aroids of great beauty, and 

 at least a few species should be included in every col- 

 lection of choice plants. They seem to fall naturally 



221. Stolon of Anthericum Liliago. 



into two sections or groups, viz., foliage and flowering. 

 Although anthuriums all flower, those that have the 

 large handsome velvety leaves, such as A. crystallinum, 

 A. Warocqueanum, A. splendidum, and the like, have 

 very inconspicuous or decidedly unattractive flowers, 

 while A. Andrseanum, A. Brownii, A. Regnellianum and 

 A. Scherzerianum and many others have remarkably 

 showy, usually scarlet spathes and spadices but much 

 less handsome foliage. All are striking plants. 

 Anthuriums such as A. Andrseanum, A. ornatum, 

 and their numerous hybrid progeny, require at all 



222. Anthurium Scher- 

 zerianum. ( X H) 



times a high and humid atmosphere. Under these con- 

 ditions and in a good rooting medium, they ought to be 

 continually in flower. A bloom is produced from the axil 

 of each leaf, and immediately beneath this leaf a new 

 root is produced, thick and succulent at first, becoming 

 tough with age, and, if not allowed to bury itself among 

 the compost in which the plant grows, it eventually 

 hardens and is of no help in the sustenance of the plant. 

 Therefore, the growing point 

 of the specimens should not 

 be allowed to get too high, or 

 the flowers will be few and 

 poor. When the plant forms 

 stems above the pot, the com- 

 post should either be built up 

 around the stem, to catch the 

 roots, or the plant may be cut 

 over, rooted afresh in sand, 

 and given a new start in a 

 pot. The two ornamental- 

 leaved species, A . Veitchii and 

 A. Warocqueanum, should be 

 treated in the same manner. 

 When cut down, one may look 

 for the old stocks to send out 

 small growths, which in course 

 of time may be taken off and 

 put in small pots. All of the 

 above are such free-rooting 

 kinds that they may, with the 

 addition of some rotted ma- 

 nure, be grown in sphagnum 

 moss. A good mixture is as 

 follows: sphagnum, chopped 

 not too fine, one part; fern or 

 kalmia roots, chopped up and 

 the fine substance removed, 

 one part; another part to be made up equally of sand 

 and rotted manure. With well-drained pots, this forms 

 an admirable rooting substance. Most of the other 

 species and their forms, including A. Scherzerianum 

 and A. crystallinum, will thrive better in material 

 mainly composed of rough, fibrous loam and peat with 

 the fine material sifted from it. This rough, fibrous 

 material should be mixed with a small quantity each 

 of sphagnum, charcoal and sand. Good drainage, and 

 less water than is needed for the Andreanum and 

 Warocqueanum groups will be necessary. A. Scherzer- 

 ianum, although thriving well in the hottest house, 

 will succeed in an intermediate house. Established 

 plants of anthurium will need repotting only once in 

 two or three years, but should have a fresh top-dressing 

 every year; the best time to overhaul them is about 

 the end of January, or before active growth begins. 

 They should be given a shaded position, free from 

 draughts of cold air, and ordinary stove temperature. 

 Care must be taken not to mar the leaves by hard 

 spraying. The temperature during winter should not 

 fall below 55. Propagation is by suckers or cuttings 

 of the rhizome inserted in small pots containing a mixture 

 of peat fiber, chopped sphagnum moss and silver-sand in 

 equal proportions, and plunged in a propagating-box in 

 a temperature of 75 to 80, with bottom heat. About 

 the end of January is the most suitable time to take the 

 cuttings. Anthuriums may also be propagated by seeds 

 sown in a mixture of very fine fibrous peat and chopped 

 sphagnum moss in 4-inch pots. The seeds should be 

 lightly covered with sphagnum, and the pots placed 

 either in a propagating-case or under bell-glasses, where 

 a temperature of 80 can be maintained. A constant 

 humid atmosphere is very necessary to induce the seeds 

 to germinate. To prevent damping, the seedlings 

 should be pricked off round the edge of a 3-inch pot as 

 soon as the first leaf is large enough to handle. Seeds 

 of such kinds as A. crystallinum and A. regale will 

 germinate well on the moss of nepenthes baskets. 



