Anthurium sp. ‘Limón’

Anthurium sp. ‘Limón’

Anthurium sp. ‘Limón’ is an unusual and seldom-seen climbing/vining Anthurium, dramatically different in growth habit from the upright velvet-leaved Anthuriums familiar to most collectors.

Rather than forming a compact rosette, sp. ‘Limón’ produces long, slender stems with pronounced internodes and numerous adventitious aerial roots. Given something to climb, it develops into an unusual and highly architectural specimen.

The foliage is particularly interesting because its appearance changes substantially with maturity. Juvenile plants produce relatively simple elongated leaves, while mature specimens can develop larger, increasingly textured and bullate foliage with more complex, lobed forms. This dramatic change from juvenile to mature foliage makes sp. ‘Limón’ especially rewarding to grow.

The designation “sp.” indicates that this plant is recognized as belonging to the genus Anthurium, but its species identity has not been formally or reliably established. Rather than assigning an unsupported species name, it continues to circulate among collectors under the horticultural designation Anthurium sp. ‘Limón’.

An interesting note on the name and its possible origin: The precise wild provenance of sp. ‘Limón’ does not appear to be reliably documented in the horticultural trade. However, Limón (General Plaza) and the surrounding Limón-Indanza region of Morona Santiago, Ecuador, are established botanical collecting localities where numerous Anthurium specimens have been documented by Dr. Croate, et al. Plants sold as sp. ‘Limón’ have also circulated through Ecuadorian aroid growers for years. An Ecuadorian origin is therefore plausible, but without an original collection record tying this plant to that locality, it should be regarded as an interesting possibility rather than confirmed provenance.

For collectors accustomed to velvet Anthurium hybrids, sp. ‘Limón’ offers something completely different: an unusual vining growth habit, prolific aerial rooting and a mature phenotype remarkably different from its juvenile form.

You will receive the exact plant pictured.