A large epiphytic species known as the "Queen Anthurium" due to its exceptionally long, narrow, pendant leaves that can reach 60-120 cm or more in length but only 10-20 cm in width. Leaves are dark green with prominent silvery-white venation and a velvety texture. The leaf surface has a quilted appearance with slightly raised veins. New leaves emerge with a bronze to copper coloration.
Anthurium warocqueanum grows as an epiphyte on trees in Colombian forests at 400 to 1,200 m, and the difficulty lies in reproducing both the moist air of its habitat and the airflow around its roots indoors. Humidity must stay at 70 to 80 percent or higher at all times. In the 60s the leaf tips begin to die back, and a damaged leaf does not recover. Aim for 18 to 26°C, since growth stalls when temperatures stay above 30°C.
The other challenge is the narrow margin in watering. As an epiphyte it dislikes constantly wet roots and rots after only slight overwatering, yet if the medium dries out completely the leaf edges die. Use a coarse medium that holds moisture while staying airy, keep the air moving, and plan on equipment such as a greenhouse, cabinet or humidifier to hold the humidity. That combination removes most of the failures.
The most common cause is root rot from overwatering. If the leaves yellow while the medium is still wet, and the leaf stalks or leaf bases turn soft and mushy, check the roots. Cut away any that are black and soft with clean scissors and repot in fresh medium. This happens most readily when cold and wet conditions coincide, so water sparingly in winter.
If the medium has dried out completely and the older leaves yellow, the plant is short of water. Losing one old leaf every time a new one opens means the conditions are not sufficient, whereas a plant doing well adds leaves without dropping any. A new leaf that is damaged along its edges while unfurling points to low humidity, pale yellowish leaves can mean a lack of fertilizer, and the oldest leaf yellowing one at a time is normal ageing.
As an epiphyte it needs a coarse medium that lets air reach the roots. Pure sphagnum moss works, as does a mix of roughly five parts bark chips, two and a half to three parts perlite and two to two and a half parts sphagnum, with coconut husk chips, pumice or charcoal added if you like. Ordinary houseplant compost, peat-based mixes and plain akadama hold stagnant water and are unsuitable.
Choose a wooden basket or a pot with plenty of slits for airflow. A hanging basket or a mount lets the long leaves hang as they do in nature. When the stem lengthens and the growing tip rises away from the medium, growth can stop, so add a moss pole for the aerial roots to attach to, or bring the growing tip back down close to the medium when repotting.
Keep it above 15°C in winter. Below 15°C growth stops and the leaves discolor, and at 10°C or below the plant suffers cold damage it does not recover from and may die. Move it away from the window at night and keep it out of the direct flow of heaters.
Heating lowers indoor humidity, so winter is when a humidifier or cabinet holding 70 percent or more matters most. Reduce watering from every four to seven days in spring through autumn to about every ten to fourteen days in winter, watering when the surface of the medium is starting to dry. Take care both not to let it dry out and not to keep it wet while it is cold. Do not feed in winter.
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