Scientific names | Common names |
Anthurium andraeanum Linden ex Andre | Anturium (Tag.) |
Anthurium venustum Sodiro | Anturio (Engl.) |
Anthurium ( Engl.) | |
Flamingo flower (Engl.) | |
Flamingo lily (Engl.) | |
Laquer anthurium (Engl.) | |
Oilcloth flower (Engl.) | |
Painter’s palette (Engl.) | |
Tall flower (Engl.) |
Other vernacular names |
DUTCH: Lakanthurium. |
GERMAN: Grosse flamingblume. |
JAPANESE: O-beni-uchiwa. |
MALAY: Bunga hati. |
VIETNAMESE: Hong mon. |
General information
– Anthurium is the national flower of Mauritius. It ranks ninth in the global flower trade.
– Anthurium is second, only to orchid, among tropical cut flowers. It is a member of the family Araceae which consists of 108 genera and approximately 3750 monocotyledonous species. (6)
Botany
Anthurium is an evergreen perennial plant that can grown to a meter in height. Leaves are large, dark, glossy, oblong or heart-shaped, up to 30 centimeters in length. Each leaf is held on a 30 to 60 centimeter petiole. Flowers are slender, finger-like or tail like spadix above a shiny, waxy, crinkled, heart-shaped spathe, red to bright orange.
Distribution
– Introduced.
– Ornamental cultivation.
– Grows well in the many area.
– Popular pot or cut flower because of its longevity.
– Whole plant, especially the sap, yields calcium oxalate crystals. Also contains proteolytic enzymes that can induce histamine release and cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.
– Leaves and stems contain minute, sharp crystals, or raphides of calcium oxalate that can cause swelling and burning of the lips, mouth, and throat, and sometimes, difficulty swallowing and breathing. The calcium oxalate crystals can also cause irritation of the skin and eyes.
– Occasional reports of intense eye and skin itching when in close proximity, without actual contact, raising the possibility of airborne allergens.
Properties
– Plant components known to cause allergic reactions.
– Considered antimicrobial, air-filtering.
Parts used
Flowers, leaves.
Uses
Folkloric traditional medicine benefits and uses of anthurium
– Flower ash reportedly used to treat boils.
– Crushed leaves rubbed on caterpillar sores.
– In China, reportedly used for rheumatic pains.
Scientific studies based on anthurium
In the NASA Clean Air Study, Anthurium adraeanum is in the list of indoor plants that may remove toxic agents from the air, helping neutralize the effects of sick building syndrome. As an air-filtering plant, anthurium removes formaldehyde, ammonia, xylene and toluene.
Anthurium andraeanum was in the top 15% of 40 woody and herbaceous foliage plants tested for formaldehyde removal.
Management of Oxalate Poisoning
• Symptoms:
Ingestion can cause painful irritation and blistering of the mouth and throat, hoarseness and dysphagia.
Decontaminate mouth, eye, and skin by physically removing all plant material. Treat eye and skin exposure with copious water irrigation.
Remove any plant material from the oral cavity. If airway compromise is ruled out, patient may be allowed to drink cold liquids, eat crushed ice, or frozen desserts for relief. Oral swishing of diphenhydramine elixir may provide anesthetic and antihistamine effects. Laryngeal edema should be treated with antihistamines. No data supports the use of steroids for laryngeal edema caused by oxalate-containing plants.
Note: Anthurium andraeanum’s air-filtering property seems to be negated by the risk of calcium oxalate exposure.
Availability
– Cultivated.
– Seeds in the cybermarket.
Read about other interesting fruits
Acai berry Ambarella Avocado Bael Banana Bilberry Cocunut
Cantaloupe Cashew apple Dragon Fruit Durian Fig Jack fruit Jamun
Kiwi Lychee Malay apple Mango Mangosteen Miracle fruit Pomelo
Papaya Passion fruit Phalsa Pineapple Plum Pomegranate
Prickly pear Quince Rambutan Roselle Santol Sapota
Sea buckthorn Sour Orange Soursop Sweet Lime Star gooseberry
Star Apple Strawberry Surinam Cherry Sweet lime Tamarind Tomato
Tree tomato Wampi Watermelon Wood apple
Read about herbs and spices
Allspice Alfalfa Ashwagandha Bay leaf Black cohosh
Black onion seeds Black pepper Cayenne pepper Celery Chives
Chamomile Clove Coffee senna Coriander Curry leaf Cumin
Eucalyptus Fennel Fenugreek Garlic Ginger Gotu Kola
Hibiscus Holy basil Jasmine Kava Kava Lavender Licorice
Long pepper Lotus Majoram Marigold Mugwort Mustard seeds
Neem Nutmeg Oregano Peppermint Red clover Rose Rosemary
Sage Sensitive plant St.John’s wort Tarragon Thyme Triphala powder