Anthurium vittariifolium - 6cm pot / 15cm
Imagine a curtain made entirely of leaves. Long, narrow green ribbons spilling down from a shelf, turning an empty corner into something that looks borrowed from a rainforest. That's where Anthurium vittariifolium is heading.
This strap-leaf Anthurium comes from tropical South America, including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. It grows as an epiphyte, using trees for support. Those hanging leaves make much more sense when you picture it perched above the forest floor with space to stretch downwards.
You're adopting a young plant with a wonderfully dramatic future. As it matures, the leaves lengthen and the whole silhouette changes. I love that you can follow the progress from a few modest straps to something that makes visitors ask what on earth you've got hanging over there.
Give it a raised position, warmth and gentle light, with room for the foliage to fall freely. The reward is movement and a completely different shape among all those broad-leaved aroids.
Start clearing the space underneath it. That space belongs to the vittariifolium now.
