Flowers and Pets

Compiled by Damayanthi Hewamanna

Anthurium The Flamingo Flower or Boy Flower:

Red Anthurium

A combination

Anthurium is a large genus of about 600- 800 species, belonging to the arum family. Anthurium can also be called "Flamingo Flower" or "Boy Flower", both referring to the structure of the spathe and spadix.

It is one of the largest and probably the most complex genus of this family; certainly it is one of the most variable. Many species are undoubtedly not yet described and new ones are being found every year.

The species has neotropical distribution; mostly in wet tropical mountain forest Central America South America but some in semi-arid environments. Most species occur Panama Colombia Brazil Guiana Shield and Ecuador.

According to the work of noted aroid botanist Dr. Tom Croat of the Missouri Botanical Garden, this genus is not found in Asia. Some species have been introduced into Asian rain forests, but are not endemic. Anthurium grows in many forms, mostly evergreen, bushy or climbing epiphytes with roots that can hang from the canopy all the way to the floor of the rain forest. There are also many terrestrial forms which are found as understory plants, as well as hemiepiphytic forms.

Hemiepiphyte

A hemiepiphyte is a plant capable of beginning life as a seed and sending roots to the soil, or beginning as a terrestrial plant that climbs a tree and then sends roots back to the soil. They occur also as lithophytes. Some are only found in association with arboreal ant colonies or growing on rocks in midstream. The stems are short to elongate with a length between 15 and 30 cm.

The simple leaves come in many shapes; most leaves are to be found at the end of the stems, although terrestrial plants show less of this pachycaul tendency. Leaves may be spatulate, rounded, or obtuse at the apex. They may be borne erect or spreading in a rosette, with a length that may surpass 100 cm in some of the larger species (such as Anthurium angamarcanum).

Features

Pink Anthurium

The upper surface of the leaf may be matte, semiglossy, or fully glossy, and the leaf texture may range from leathery to fragile and papery.The leaves are petiolate and possess a structure called the geniculum, which is unique to the genus Anthurium.

The geniculum allows the plant to swivel its leaves towards the sun, much in the same manner as sunflowers. In drier environments, the leaves can form a bird's-nest shaped rosette that enables the plant to collect falling debris, and thus water and natural fertilizer.

Terrestrial growers or epiphytes often have cordate Anthurium flowers are small (about 3 mm) and develop crowded in a spike on a fleshy axis, called a spadix, a characteristic of the Araceae. The flowers on the spadix are often divided sexually with a sterile band separating male from female flowers.

This spadix can take on many forms like club- shaped, tapered, spiraled, and globe-shaped and colors such as white, green, purple, red, pink, or a combination of all of them.

The spadix is part of an inflorescence, the outer portion of which is known as the spathe. The spathe may be a single color or possibly multicolored including burgundy and red. Anthurium grown for the florist trade generally have highly coloured spathes and spadices. The spathe can vary in color from pale green to white, rose, orange or shiny red.

White Anthurium

The color changes between the bud stage and the anthesis, thus the color might change from pale green to reddish purple to reddish brown. The flowers are hermaphrodite containing male and female flowers.

The fruits are usually berries with one to multiple seeds on an infructescence that may be pendant or erect depending on species. Anthurium berries may range in colour from bright red to black, and may also be bicoloured or shaded.

The flowers of Anthurium give off a variety of fragrances, each attracting a variety of specific pollinators. Several species are popular in the florist trade as pot plants or cut flowers and for interior decoration. They include forms such as A. crystallinum f peltifolium with its large, velvety, darkgreen leaves and silvery white venation.

Most hybrids are based on A. andreanum or A. scherzerianum because of their colorful spathes. Anthurium can also be called "Flamingo Flower" or "Boy Flower", both referring to the structure of the spathe and spadix. Like other Aroids, many species of Anthurium can be grown as houseplants, or outdoors in mild climates in shady spots.

They thrive in moist soils with high organic matter. In milder climates the plants can be grown in pots of soil. Indoors plants thrive at temperatures between 60-72 degrees and at lower light than other house plants. Wiping the leaves off with water will remove any dust and insects.

Plant in pots

Pink and Green combination

Plant in pots with good root systems. Will benefit from a weak fertilizer solution ever other week. In the case of vining or climbing Anthuriums, the plants benefit from being provided with a totem to climb. As with most Aroids, new plants can be grown by taking stems and cuttings with at least two joints. Cuttings can be then rooted in pots of sand and peat moss mixtures.

These pots then should be placed in greenhouses with bottom heat of 70-75 degrees. During the rooting process they should be kept out of direct sunlight. Once rooted the plants can be transplanted to larger pots or directly outside in milder climates. A second way to propigate Anthurium is to take stem cuttings particularly from trailing varieties and place them in water.

In four to five weeks the plant should develop roots and can be transferred to pots. The final method is through direct planting of mature seed or berries

We need homes

Kynsey, Lady and Didums have been sterilised and innoculated and are in need of kind and loving homes.

They are house trained and are very loving and faithful and will make excellent companions.

There are several cats too who need homes - they too have been sterilised and neutered.

Animal lovers only - please call 0777585998.

Letter Corner

My Kalu:

The relationship between a man and a dog has been going back to thousands of years equal to the population of street dogs in this island.

The sorrowful state of love that we show for the most lovable valentine animal is shocking in this part of the world.

The main thing is the economy of the country. When the country is under a national crisis, the people in Colombo have some shocking experience to care for dogs than they care for humans.

Some dogs travel in luxury vehicles for their hospitalization while their counterparts look unsecured on the wayside exposed to risks of accidents and victims of disease.

Hardly local authorities who are "expected" to look after and control the dog population have no funds to launch a vaccination program for street dogs.

The Vets in respective divisional areas lack the will to get the local authorities to carry out an ambitious program to control the stray dog population. This situation is worse in local authorities in suburbs of Colombo with the lack of interest in Public Health Affairs.

We are to remind when the Public Health Work was well established when the Department of Health Services undertook the responsibility of local health care under the British and during the post independence era so. Since the responsibility of the local authority was vested in the local administration, hardly any methodical work seems to take place without corruption or bribery.

It is very prudent that the local authorities do engage in implementing the by laws and rehabilitate the dog population to control rabies and other social misbehavior before things goes unchecked.

The CMC has now asked all people who have dogs to register them so that they can keep a track of the dogs who are homeless and who have homes.

Bandula Nonis

Resident of a town with a high dog population

Who’s a better mum?

Elephant and her calf	Gorilla and her young	Tigress and her cub

Weasle and her young	Human and her young