Anthurium besseae aff. — Pink-Form Velvet Species (Grower’s Choice)

Anthurium besseae is a formally described velvet species (Croat, 2005) with a genuinely special provenance: the type was collected in Bolivia by Libby Besse — patron of the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, for whom the species is named — and first flowered in cultivation at Selby. This pink form is prized for its dynamic foliage: new leaves emerge soft pale green with striking pink venation radiating from the sinus, hardening into deep velvety foliage with a persistent pink sinus and pink-margined edging.

A note on identity (honest labeling). The true A. besseae is endemic to its Bolivian type locality (Cochabamba, Chapare, 240 m). Plants circulating in trade as “besseae aff.” — including darker Ecuadorian collections — are close to, but not verified as, the true species. The “aff.” (affinis) tag honestly flags that, and I keep it rather than merging them.

Specialist care (sourced). Ecuagenera: bright indirect light; warm and humid (20–30°C); consistently moist but well-drained, airy substrate; high ambient humidity. Ecuagenera USA (for besseae aff.): 18–24°C, 60–80% humidity, bright filtered understory light. Habitat-derived (INFERRED): the 240 m lowland wet-forest type locality implies warm, humid, stable conditions and a terrestrial habit — keep it warm, humid, and evenly moist.

What you’ll receive. One grower’s-choice seedling of the pink form. Leaf coloration and venation shift with maturity; minor cosmetic imperfections are normal.

Shipping. Ships from the Florida panhandle; heat pack in cold weather.