Horticulture Digest #108
ANTHURIUM CULTIVARS FOR CONTAINER PRODUCTION
Background
Two
decades ago, anthuriums were cultivated largely as a cut flower crop.
Now, anthuriums are internationally produced and traded as both cut flowers
and potted blooming plants. Large anthurium nurseries can be found the
world over:
-
in the Caribbean Basin (Florida, Jamaica, Trinidad
and Tobago)
-
in the Pacific and Pacific Rim (California, Hawaii,
Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand)
-
in Europe (Germany, Holland, Denmark, Italy), and
-
in the island nation of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.
 In 1993
potted anthuriums ranked 23rd in total sales among all potted foliage
and flowering plants sold through the Dutch auctions (a good indicator
of global trends). Anthuriums showed an 18% increase in average auction
price since 1990, attaining 5.98 Dfl ($3.33) across all pot sizes to rank
as the third most valuable commodity after phalaenopsis orchids and howea
palms. Approximately four million pots were sold, with Anthurium scherzerianum
outnumbering A. andraeanum types by about 2.5 to 1 (International Floriculture
Quarterly Report, Vol. 5, 1995). While similar statistics are not available
for container anthuriums in the USA, over three million anthurium microcuttings
(tissue culture propagated plants), comprised principally of potted cultivars,
were produced in the USA in 1993 (Matsumoto and Kuehnle, 1996).
Potted
flowering anthuriums have the potential to be an increasingly important
commodity for Hawaii's growers, as indicated by the 1994 Hawaii Foliage
Industry Analyses. Durability during shipping and handling, in addition
to desirable features of lush foliage and year-round flowering with a
large array of colors, make anthuriums an attractive export crop. Efforts
are underway to allow export of Hawaii-grown container anthuriums to Japan
to meet that country's escalating market demand for blooming interior
plants. Meanwhile, importation into the United States of anthurium plants
in approved growing media is now allowable under revised Quarantine 37
regulations. Now, more than ever, Hawaii's competitiveness stands to benefit
from the development of new anthurium cultivars for container production.
Containerized
anthuriums can be used for interiorscapes and landscapes in warmer climates.
Plants of relatively compact stature are generally preferred in homes
or offices, while plants with larger foliage and flowers carried on long
peduncles can be accomodated in hotels, banks, hospitals, or office building
lobbies and reception areas. Under low-light conditions, anthurium plants
can maintain attractive foliage, but continual blooming may be interrupted.
Exterior use in Hawaii is under moderate shade, such as provided by tree
ferns. 
Cultivated Varieties
Potted
flowering anthuriums may be grouped into three basic categories distinguished
by parental background (Table 1).
Table 1. Categories and description of potted blooming anthuriums.
Pot General Early
plant types comments cultivars Source
A. scherzenianum Pig-tail anthurium; well 'Dutch Treat' Rancho Tissue
established in Europe; grown Technologies
in the USA in cooler Inc., Rancho
locations such as CA; more Santa Fe, CA
tolerant of cooler
temperatures than A.
andraeanum types.
A. andraeanum Standard heart shape spathe Royal series Twyford Plant
types with cordate foliage, grown Labs,
mainly as a cut flower. Sebring, FL
A. amnicola Compact growth; small Lady series Oglesby Plant
hybrids flowered with attractive, Labs, Inc.,
A. antioquiense lanceolate foliage. Altha, FL
hybrids
The
predominant potted anthuriums available commercially in Europe are A.
scherzerianum cultivars from Zwinkels, De Lier Holland and Anthura Arndt,
Bleiswijk Holland (formerly G. Arndt, Borken Germany). However, new flower
and foliage forms, such as the Sweetheart series from Anthura B.V., Bleiswijk,
Holland, reflect a growing interest in A. andraeanum types.
In
Hawaii, A. andraeanum-type cultivars, including those for cut flowers,
are increasingly popular in large-scale interiorscapes. These cultivars
may flower later or less profusely than the other categories of potted
anthuriums due to their larger flowers and foliage. However, some proliferate
offshoots naturally, resulting in a full plant (e.g.,'Kaumana'). Moreover,
some cultivars have inflorescences that remain attractive for several
months and thus give the appearance of many flowers per growing point
(e.g., 'Tropic Ice').
To
provide a full appearance, propagators commonly provide two to three plugs
or plants per pot. Horticultural practices such as topping may be employed
to stimulate axillary branching to produce more flowering stems per pot.
Growth regulators such as gibberellic acid or benzyladenine may be used
to induce suckering (Imamura and Higaki, 1988).
Hybrids
of A. amnicola or A. antioquiense are usually floriferous with compact
growth. The most successful cultivar to date is the rosy pink 'Lady Jane',
released in 1984 by Oglesby.
A
fourth category may be emerging, namely Andraecola (Interior Landscape,
Winter 1995), to designate interspecific hybrids between A. andraeanum
and A. amnicola. This would include recent hybrids from the University
of Hawaii at Manoa, 'Andraecola-l' and 'Andraecola-2' (Kamemoto et al.,
1993) with larger flowers and longer stems than earlier A. amnicola hybrids
such as 'Southern Blush' from the University of Florida. Similar floriferous
but more compact hybrids may fill a niche in the container anthurium market.
Numerous cultivars are available from commercial
propagators (Table 2).
Table 2. Some potted plant anthurium cultivars available
commercially in the USA.
Cultivar Spathe and spadix color Licensed propagator
Red Hot (developed by Univ. of Florida) red and pink Oglesby
Kohara Double red Oglesby
Champion (developed by Anthura B.V.) white obake Oglesby
Leilani light lavender Oglesby
Mazie red and white Agri-Starts
Mary Jean white and pink Agri-Starts
Sherry-Lynne pink Agri-Starts
Lollipop reddish pink and cream Twyford
Pink Aristocrat (developed by H. Tagami) pink Twyford
Pink Frost pink and white Twyford
A. scherzerianum Shazzam red and pink Twyford
Pixie Pink pink Rancho Tissue
Technologies
Allura white Rancho Tissue
Technologies
A. scherzerianum Dutch Treat red Rancho Tissue
Technologies
Many
are patented or have their names trademarked. A description and performance
evaluation of 21 cultivars for interior use was made by Henley and Robinson
(1994) under greenhouse conditions in Florida.
Production
practices complement the features provided by breeding. Light levels and
nutrition (fertilizer ratio, rate, and type) affect leaf size and number,
flower number, color retention, and general plant quality. A further example
is use of two to three plants per cell or pot rather than relying on offshoot
production for some otherwise outstanding cultivars. A description of
production factors and associated physiological, disease, and pest problems
is found in Henny et al. (1994).
UH Research on New Potted Anthuriums
Prior
to the 1980s, the focus of the UH breeding program was on developing plants
with outstanding inflorescences and high yields for the cut flower market.
The attractiveness of foliage was also a consideration.
In
1980, J. Kunisaki published the technique for micropropagation of anthurium
using shoot tip and bud culture. This was a milestone in the industry;
its development in Hawaii allowed rapid, high-volume multiplication of
hybrids. Micropropagation is important because it allows anthurium to
be competitive with other types of potted plants. Also, shortly before
1980 the compact, mini-flowered species A. amnicola became available to
breeders. The University of Hawaii anthurium breeding program now includes
specific potted plant breeding objectives to provide Hawaii's producers
a diversity of plants to evaluate for their own needs. A summary of UH
selection evaluation criteria is found in Table 3.
Table 3. University of Hawaii potted blooming anthurium selection
evaluation criteria.
Feature Desirable attributes and comments
Foliage and plant habit Attractive, glossy, dark green leaves; good sucker
production resulting in full dense growth in
pots; short internodes.
Flowers Numerous, attractive, glossy flowers positioned
above the foliage; contrasting colors of spathe
and spadix; fragrance, novel colors, in addition
to more standard shapes.
Disease resistance Resistance to bacterial blight, Xanthomonas
campestris pv. dieffenbachiae and anthracnose
or black nose, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides.
Production Finishing time 10-14 months from plugs (1-3
plugs/pot) in 6-8" containers; 10" for some
A. andraeanum types.
Post production Should ship well; plants hould maintain flower
production during interior use; flowers should
retain color or turn greenish, not brown with age.
Potential potted cultivars developed by the University
of Hawaii at Manoa are shown in Table 4.
Table 4. Some University of Hawaii anthurium release with potential
for potted sales.
UH Cultivar Hort Digest
selection no. name Description Issue
Cross 724- A. x antro-oquiense Crosses between A.
Cross 727 antrophyoides and A.
(reciprocal) antioquiense; mini white
spathe, sweet minty scent No. 85 (1988)
Cross 729 A. x amni-oquiense Cross between A.
antioquiense and A.
amnicola; mini light
lavender spathe; minty
scent No. 85 (1988)
UH1068 ARCS Small purple tulip No. 85 (1988)
UH1067 ARCS Hawaii Small purple tulip No. 89 (1989)
UH1070 Pink Elf Small pink tulip No. 94 (1991)
UH1051 Tropic Ice White obake; old flowers
remain attractive; blight No. 104
tolerant (1995)
UH1016 Kalapana Red obake; developed for
cut flower use; blight
tolerant; US Patent No.
Plant 8,320, Jul. 27, No. 104
1993 (1995)
UH931 -- A cut flower selection
with large standard
orange spathe suitable
for potted plant use --
UH1245 Tropic Fire Bright red, blight
tolerant; patent
pending
Several
cultivars were bred for dual purposes (cut/potted). Others were developed
as cut flowers but adapted by growers and designers for use in large interiorscapes.
Some outstanding attributes of UH cultivars include anthracnose resistance,
bacterial blight tolerance, attractive foliage, long-lasting flowers,
and free-flowering.
Selected references
Henley,
R.W., and C.A. Robinson. 1994. Evaluation of twenty-one potted anthurium
cultivars grown for interior use. Proc. Fla. State Hort.Soc. 107:179-181.
Henny,
R.J., A.R. Chase, and L.S. Osborne. 1994. Anthurium. Foliage Digest 17:1-4.
Imamura,
J., and T. Higaki. 1988. Effect of GA3 and BA on lateral shoot production
on anthurium. HortScience 23:35-354.
Kamemoto,
H., A. Kuehnle, J.T. Kunisaki, M. Aragaki, J.S. Lichty, and T.D. Amore.
1995. 'Pink Champagne', 'Andraecola-l', and 'Andraecola-2' anthurium.
Univ. of Hawaii, Hort. Digest 104:4-6.
Kunisaki,
J. 1980. In vitro propagation of Anthurium andreanum Lind. HortScience
15:508-509.
Matsumoto,
T., and A.R. Kuehnle. 1996. Micropropagation of anthuriums. In: Biotechnology
in agriculture and forestry, high-tech and micropropagation V (Bajaj,
Y.P.S., ed.) Springer Verlag, Berlin (in press).
A.
R. Kuehnle, heidi@hawaii.edu
H. Kamemoto, haruyuki@hawaii.edu
F. Rauch, rauch@hawaii.edu
J. Lichty, T. D. Amore, and N. C. Sugii
Department
of Horticulture, CTAHR
University of Hawaii at Manoa
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