Called the "heart of Hawai`i", the anthurium was brought to the Islands from Colombia in 1889 by an English missionary Samuel Damon. Anthurium means, "tail flower" in Greek. The plant is part of the Arum family (Aracea) that also includes taro, philodendron and calla lily. These plants all share a similarly shaped flower—a colorful, shiny, heart-shaped "petal" or spathe that is surrounded by a straight or slightly curved, knobby "tail" or spadix. Stem lengths can vary between fifteen to twenty inches, depending on the size of the spathe; the bigger the spathe, the longer the stem.

There are three types of spathes: standard, obake and tulip. The standard is by far the most common shape. The heart-shaped lobes often overlap. Standards come in red, orange, pink, coral, white and green. Spathe sizes can range in size (length x width) from 5" x 4-1/2" to 8-1/2" x 7-1/4".

Obake (o-BAH-kay), a Japanese term that means, "ghost", refers to this group’s dramatic variations among hybrids in shape, size and color. Obakes usually come in a bicolor pattern of green and a major spathe color. Some varieties even lose their green color in the summer, creating a one-color spathe. Spathe sizes range from a 3" x 2-1/2" mini to 11" x 9" exhibition variety.

Tulips have erect, cupped spathes that tend to reflex when mature. The spadix is also erect and straight. Tulips are small hybrids with more than one species in their makeup; in fact, some of them have four species in their ancestry. They have become more and more popular due to their unique shapes and colors.

Anthuriums are one of Hawai`i’s best floral values due to their durability and long vase life. These plants are relatively easy to grow and thrive well in draining soils.