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Anthurium Villenaorum: 5 Most Valuable Caring Tips

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Anthurium Villenaorum is one of the most beautiful variegated plant species on this planet. And because of its shade tolerance, it is one of the most popular indoor houseplants.

Its creamy white venations on velvety dark green foliage can effortlessly steal the show.

Anthurium Villenaorum is an evergreen perennial that is primarily grown for ornamental purposes. It is a very resilient plant and is easy to care for.

But before going directly into the caring guide, let’s take a brief look at the record and traits of the plant.

The Genus Anthurium

Anthurium is a diverse plant genus housing about 1200 accepted species of many exotic plants. In fact, it is the largest plant genera of the Arum family, Araceae.

It is native to regions of Central and South America. Anthurium consists of many plants, including flowering, non-flowering, climbing, non-climbing, epiphytic, and self-heading species.

Anthurium Villenaorum is an evergreen blooming plant species native to Peru, South America. Therefore, it’s one of the best indoor plant species that you can find. Also, it is quite a rare variety of Anthurium.

The beautiful variegations make this plant a center of attention for most people. Most of the species, coming from the Araceae family, are best known for their flowers.

Anthurium Flower
Image via Ivan Moncada.

But, Anthurium Villenaorum is generally grown and loved because of its stunning foliage.

Anthurium Villenaorum
Anthurium Villenaorum via Reddit

Let’s take a look at some of the plant’s characteristics.

Anthurium Villenaorum: Characteristic Features

Height & Size

This plant can reach a maximum height of 1.5 to 1.8 meters indoors. The leaves with triangular petioles spread sideways, resulting in a broad stature. It can achieve a max width of 1.5 meters.

The Anthurium Villenaorum, just like other species of the genus, is characterized by having gigantic leaves. Under the right conditions, these leaves can grow up to 29 inches (75 cm).

Leaves

The leaves of Anthurium Villenaorum are not completely heart-shaped. They are more of a semi heart-shaped elongated leaves.

The dark green velvety leaves of the plant are branded with a striking network of beautiful white variegations. That makes it an excellent choice for indoor embellishments.

In my opinion, the variegations in Anthurium Villenaorum are permanent in nature. These striations are further perpetual to display a sectorial type of venation.

Whatever the type is, these variegations make a killer combo with dark green leaves.

Although the leaves look thick and velvety, they are really soft to touch. The color of these leaves can also differ in shades of green.

Anthurium Villenaorum 2
Anthurium Villenaorum via Reddit

Flowers

Maybe, you are surprised to know that this species also blooms flowers. In fact, it can go pretty wild and can bloom four to five times a year.

But, if it blooms that much, why the Anthurium Villenaorum is admired for its leaves rather than its flowers. That’s because the flowers are in the form of panicle spikes. They are also not very attractive and only display simple light green color.

Are you are growing this Anthurium solely because of its leaves? I recommend cutting the flower panicles. That can save a big chunk of the plant’s energy which can be utilized in growing more leaves efficiently.

Toxicity

Anthurium Villenaorum is not safe to be ingested. It is a noxious herb that can cause calcium oxalate poisoning in pets and children. It would be best for you to keep your loving companions and kids away from these plants.

These calcium oxalate crystals can cause swelling and irritation in and outside the mouth. You must seek immediate medical help in such cases.

Potency

Being a hard-hitting plant, Anthurium Villenaorum survives in a variety of conditions. This plant thrives in diverse living conditions. From shady areas to various potting mixes, this plant bears all situations.

The more you take care of your plant, the more it will stay safe from pests and diseases. That’s why I will write an efficient and complete caring guide for Anthurium Villenaorum.

Anthurium Villenaorum — Best Growing Tips

To get an idea of the best conditions for the plants to flourish at their maximum potential. We have to look at the native regions of the plant.

As I mentioned earlier, Anthurium Villenaorum is native to Peru. Peru is a tropical region of Western South America with boundless climatic diversity. That’s the main reason for this plant to be very tolerant.

With that said, let’s get straight into it.

1. Lighting Conditions

Anthurium Villenaorum is a variegated plant species and would want bright lighting conditions. But it can also live in shaded areas of the house. Like other similar epiphytes, this plant is accustomed to living under shades of bigger plants in the natural habitat.

Many variegated plant species need a good amount of bright sunlight to thrive at their peak level.

Therefore, regardless of the fact that it can keep up in shades, you need to provide your Anthurium Villenaorum with an adequate amount of light.

If you see some unusual spots on leaves, your plant is not getting sufficient light.

Keep your plant in areas where it can bathe in bright but filtered sunlight. Sunrays should not touch the leaves. You can also measure the light intensity in foot candles. Anthurium Villenaorum will do best in 100-300 fc.

Most people usually grow it under grow lights. But you can also keep it in front of a window.

A South facing window would not be the best for this plant. It is very bright throughout the day. Keeping your plant a few feet away from an East or West facing window can do the work.

2. Humidity

Anthurium Villenaorum needs high humidity! As it originates from tropical regions of South-west America. It prospers in 60% to 80% humidity levels.

If we take a look at some stats,

You can see in the above picture that the average humidity levels of Peru are above 80% annually. Some records show that the moisture levels can also bump up to 90% in August.

Therefore, if you want your plant to thrive indoors. You should keep the moisture levels on high grounds.

I recommend keeping tropical plants together and weekly misting them. You can also use this Anthurium for bathroom or kitchen embellishment. These places will have more water vapors than other parts of the house.

You can occasionally pick up a humidifier to notch the moisture levels up.

3. Temperature

You should keep your Anthurium Villenaorum in a warm temperature range. It can probably not survive temperature under 15°C.

As the average temperature range of the innate regions of the plant is 25-33°C, the best temperature range to keep your plant will be around 27°C.

You can keep it anywhere around the general room temperature of 68 to 72°F. The USDA hardiness zone for this plant is 10 to 11.

Freezing temperatures form ice crystals in the plant cells. They tear up the organelles or cell membrane, leading to the plant’s death. So don’t keep your plant in such conditions during winter.

Keep your Anthurium Villenaorum indoors and use temperature management tools like anti-frost fabrics to cope up with low temperatures.

4. Potting Mix

To get the best out of your plant, you need to root it in a well-aired and good-draining potting mix.

Aforementioned, this plant can survive in a variety of soil mixtures. You can even use a soilless mix like peat-moss or peat-vermiculite to grow your Anthurium Villenaorum.

But if you want to take your experience with this green buddy to the next level, make a perfect blend to root it.

So, let’s make this perfect combination. We are going to divide the whole mixture into four equal portions.

  • First, fill the 1/4th part with a regular potting mix, use an organic premium potting mix for getting better results.
  • Now add peat moss to fill another 1/4th part.
  • For the third part, use horticultural perlite.
  • And now, for the final part, add orchid bark. Medium-sized chunks would be best. You can also add in a few teaspoons of horticultural charcoal.

That creates a perfect potting mix for our Anthurium Villenaorum.

5. Watering

If you combine an ideal potting mix with a perfect watering schedule. You are the master of the game.

The rule of thumb for Anthuriums is that you should wait for the top 25% of the soil to get completely dry before giving it another shot of hydration.

Overwatering the plant leads to instant root rot. It attracts the sap-sucking pests if the leaves are damp and water is coming out of hydathodes.

Watering depends upon light, temperature, humidity, and your rooting mixture. That’s why I usually mention water requirements at the end. If you are fulfilling the above caring needs for the plant, watering about two times a week will work best.

You can check the dampness with the moisture meter or just simply feel the soil by sticking in your finger. If the soil feels dry up to 2 to 3 inches, then it’s the perfect time to water.


Conclusion

Anthurium Villenaorum is one of the most iconic indoor houseplants. Due to its open-mindedness, you can effortlessly find an excellent spot for it in your home or office.

It can purify the air, so it also takes care of your lungs. It would absolutely be a great buy if you find this Anthurium for sale at a reasonable price tag.

With that said, make sure to share today’s topic with your friends and family. I hope you enjoyed today’s article.

Regards, Mahad H.