Anthurium Papillilaminum Care Guide - How to Grow Velvet Leaf Anthurium

Last Updated on March 19, 2022 by Admin

The Anthurium Papillilaminum is also known as the Velvet leaf Anthurium. This is because its beautiful leaves have this kind of texture.

Unlike many anthurium varieties, the Papillilaminum is a terrestrial plant instead of an epiphyte. As such, it grows from the ground instead of clinging onto trees.

This hybrid is native to Central and South America especially Panama. As such, it favors warm, humid conditions.

It is worth noting that it has a few hybrids as well, including:

Anthurium papillilaminum x magnificum
Anthurium papillilaminum x warocqueanum
Anthurium papillilaminum x magnificum
Anthurium papillilaminum x crystallinum

That said, the most stunning feature of this plant are its long, large foliage.

Young leaves start out having a burgundy color. But as they mature, the leaves become dark green and leathery in texture. Their white veins also become more prominent.

How do you care for Anthurium Papillilaminum? The Anthurium Papillilaminum needs medium to bright indirect light indoors. Outdoors, supply it with partial shade.

It does best in warm, humid environments. Make sure to use well-draining soil to avoid overwatering.

Table of Contents

Anthurium Papillilaminum Plant Care

Light Requirements

The Anthurium Papillilaminum grows best in bright, indirect light. It will also do well in medium light and tolerate low light but only to a certain degree.

Outdoors, the plant prefers partial shade or semi-shade.

This stems from its natural habitat where it lives as a terrestrial plant under the forest canopy in Central and South America.

Thus, the larger trees and plants cover most of the strong sun.

Its terrestrial natural also means that is grows different from other Anthurium varieties. Many anthuriums are epiphytes. As such, they grow and climb on trees. In contrast, the Anthurium Papillilaminum grows on the ground and stands upright.

Because of its location in the forest biome, the plant is not used to direct sunlight. Too much exposure to the direct rays of the sun or very intense light will burn its leaves.

This means it is a good idea to keep it away from full sun outdoors. Similarly, if you want to give it a southern exposure, distance it from the window’s opening or filter the light coming in from the window.

Temperature

The Anthurium Papillilaminum has an ideal temperature of between 70 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes it well suited to USDA Hardiness Zones 9b to 11.

Again, this is due to where it comes from.

The plant is found in the tropical regions of Central and South America. As such, it is used to warm, sunny weather that is fairly consistent all year round.

There is also no snow or freezing temperatures come winter in those areas.

Therefore, the plant has a low tolerance to the cold.

This is why you want to keep it away from placed that have temperatures below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. While it may be able to tolerate this, its growth will start slowing at this climate.

And the lower the temperature goes, the more problems it will experience.

So what does this mean?

It means that indoors, keep the plant away from cold drafts like open windows and air conditioners.

Outdoors, make sure that once the weather gets colder around fall, to bring it back indoors before temperature drops under 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Don’t leave the plant outside through the winter as it will not survive.

Humidity

Humidity is another feature of tropical weather.

This is why the Anthurium Papillilaminum enjoys humidity between 70% and 80%. If you give it this environment, it will grow faster and produce lusher leaves.

That said, the plant is amendable to humidity of 50% and higher.

Since most homes average humidity runs between 20% and 50% depending on the time of year, it is a good idea to make sure the plant is getting enough moisture in the air.

If not, it will tell you.

You’ll start noticing its leaves turn brown and crispy beginning at the tips and edges. This is a sign that it needs more humidity.

I like to keep a hygrometer near my plants to make it easy to tell what the humidity is on any given day. That way, I just take a quick glance and know whether I need to help certain plants out or not.

If you live in an area with dry air or where humidity can drop (this happens a lot in wintertime), you can do any of the following to increase humidity around the plant.

Get a humidifier
Move it to the bathroom
Group it with your other plants
Put it on top of rocks in a tray filled with water
Mist the plant
Give the plant a shower every couple of weeks or so

How Often to Water Anthurium Papillilaminum

The Anthurium Papillilaminum needs moderate watering. On average, it requires watering about once a week.

However, during the summer, you may need to water it 2-3 times each week depending on how hot it gets.

In the winter, it is important to cut back on watering and allow the soil to dry more between waterings. This will prevent wet soil and overwatering. As such, you’ll likely only need to water your Anthurium Papillilaminum once every 2-3 weeks.

Note that the watering frequencies above are just guidelines.

That’s because how quickly soil dries depends on so many factors including how much sun your plant gets, how hot or cold it is, the humidity, the kind of soil you use and how much you water.

Therefore, I find that a more accurate way of watering the plant is to always check the soil before adding any water.

This will let you know how moist or dry the soil is before adding more. In doing so, you can avoid overwatering.

To do so, just stick your finger into the soil down to about 2 inches from the surface. If the soil at that depth is wet or even slightly moist, wait 2 days before testing again.

Never water the plant at this state because the soil still has moisture. Doing so will cause you to overwater the plant eventually.

Instead, wait until the top 2 inches of soil is completely dry before you add water.

Related

Anthurium Papillilaminum Potting Soil

The best potting soil for Anthurium Papillilaminum is moist, well-draining, fertile soil with pH between 6.1 to 6.5. It is also a good idea to use chunky soil since this helps with aeriation.

The simplest way to get this kind of soil is to buy an Aroid Mix.

Aroid mixes are designed for Anthuriums and other Aroids like Monsteras and Philodenderons. They drain excess moisture really well to keep the roots well-oxygenated and away from waterlogging.

Thus, this will keep your Anthurium Papillilaminum safe from overwatering and root rot problems.

In you prefer to make your own soil instead of buying something off the shelf, you can easily do so as well.

I like to use a combination of:

2 parts orchid mix
1 part peat
1 part perlite

This will give the plant what it needs and make sure that the soil is moist enough to keep the roots well-hydrated without putting it at risk of overwatering or waterlogging.

In addition to using the right potting soil, it is also important to use a pot with drainage holes at the bottom.

This way, the excess water that drains from the soil won’t just pool at the bottom of the inside of the pot. if this happens, the soil stays wet.

Drainage holes will let the liquid quickly exit and drip down allowing the soil to stay drier.

Fertilizer

Fertilizer is another important aspect of caring for your Anthurium Papillilaminum.

Feeding your plant ensures that it gets sufficient nutrients to grow fast and produce large, lush foliage.

However, avoid the temptation of over fertilizing your plant. This is something I see a lot of new houseplant owners do in hopes that more fertilizer will make the plant grow bigger faster.

And while this works in the very short term, it will soon cause problems.

The reason is that fertilizer contains mineral salts. These salts are used to transport the nutrients efficiently so the plant’s roots can absorb them.

However, once the roots take the nutrients and the water evaporates, you’re left with fertilizer salts building up in the soil.

This is why it is important not to add too much fertilizer each time you apply. And to avoid feeding the plant too often.

Instead, the Anthurium Papillilaminum only needs fertilizer once a month during its growing season. Use a balance liquid fertilizer diluted to quarter strength.

Since the Anthurium Papillilaminum is not known for its flowers, you don’t need to use a high phosphorus blend.

Make sure to dilute the application and not to feed the plant more than needed as its roots are easily burned by excess fertilizer or overconcentration.

Pruning

The Anthurium Papillilaminum can grow up to 3 feet tall with proper care. Just as importantly, its large hanging leaves make up most of the plant.

As such, you’ll see then curve outwards from their long, thin stems. This makes them stunning to look at.

And while the plant is fairly fast growing, there’s not need to prune it heavily since the leaves are what make up overall plant.

At most, you’ll probably only need to remove one or two leaves at any give time. Avoid doing more because each leaf if big, it leaves a blank space that can quickly make your Anthurium Papillilaminum look more sparse.

That said, remove any yellow, brown, damaged, diseased or old foliage to help the plant grow faster.

How to Propagate Anthurium Papillilaminum

The two most efficient ways to propagate the Anthurium Papillilaminum are from stem cuttings and division.

Stem cuttings are simpler because you don’t need to unpot the plant. Similarly, you can grow many new plants at the same time simply by getting more stem cuttings.

Division is more useful if you don’t want to wait for the new plant to have to root. Instead, you get a semi-grown plant immediately after propagation.

Additionally, it lets you reduce the size of the mother plant in the process. This makes it a good option if you want to limit its size.

Propagating Anthurium Papillilaminum from Stem Cuttings

Begin by choosing healthy stems with 2-3 leaves on it. If you want to grow more than one plant, you can take more stem cuttings. But be careful not to get too many such that the mother plant is left bare. Remember, plants need foliage for photosynthesis.
Once you’ve made your selection, take a sterilized pair of scissors or pruning shears and cut the stem. Try to get a stem that is at least 6 inches long or more.
Next, prepare the new pot and fill it with fresh, well-draining potting mix.
Take the cut end of the stem cutting and dip it or coat it with rooting hormone. You can use paste or powder form.
Plant the stem cutting into the soil by making a hole using your finger then inserting the cut end f the stem in the soil. Then pat down the soil to keep the cutting in place.
Water the soil until moist.
Finally place the place under bright, indirect light.

How to Repot or Transplant Anthurium Papillilaminum

The Anthurium Papillilaminum only needs repotting every 2-3 years. And because it enjoys being slightly root bound, you don’t need to hurry in doing so.

The main sign to look for to know when to repot the plant is to check the bottom of the pot.

Once the plant gets root bound, you’ll see a number of roots come out from the drainage hole under the container. This means that the plant wants (and needs) more space to grow.

Therefore, repotting it will give it that extra space.

When repotting, choose a container that is 2 inches wider than the current pot. And replace the potting soil with a fresh, well-draining mix.

Repotting gives the plant a “go signal” telling it that it can grow bigger.

In case you’re happy with the plant’s current size and don’t want it to get any bigger, instead of repotting, you can prune the roots.

By doing so, you’re reducing the size of the root ball to fit the current pot again. And in the process, limiting the growth of the plant.

So, it is really up to you what you want to do.

Is It Toxic/Poisonous to Humans, Cats & Dogs

Yes. Unfortunately, the Anthurium Papillilaminum is toxic. This is due to the calcium oxalate crystals it contains.

Although, the crystals are only activated once you ingest part of the plant. Therefore, it is important not to let kids, cats or dogs chew or consumer the leaves or stems.

Anthurium Papillilaminum Problems & Troubleshooting

Pests

Like all houseplants, pests will always be something you need to watch out for with the Anthurium Papillilaminum.

With proper care and regular leaf cleaning, the plant will less likely have any pest issues.

That said, the most common pests that can attack this plant are spider mites, mealybugs, aphids and scale. These are all sap suckers.

As such, they will take the internal juices of the plant when they feed on it. And as these insects grow in number, the more damage they cause.

Therefore, regular inspection is needed in addition to proper care and cleaning.

If you spot any pests, treat them with insecticidal soap or neem oil. Depending on how much of an infestation there is, it could take 1-2 applications only or up to several weeds to get rid of the pests.

Therefore, try to catch it as early as possible.

Diseases

With diseases, root rot is the most serious issue. Therefore, you always want to be mindful of how much you water and how often you water.

Additionally, make sure the soil you use is well-draining. Otherwise, it can cause waterlogging even if you water correctly.

Having drainage holes also helps prevent these problems.

The other thing to look out for are leaf infections.

Again, it is moisture that usually causes the problem. Excess water on leaves that do not dry fast enough make them prone to bacterial and fungal infections.

As such, avoid wetting the leaves when you water the plant. If you do get them wet, avoid doing so later in the day when there is no sun.

You can also pat down the leaves with a towel to help remove excess moisture.

Similarly, when misting the plant, don’t get the leaves too wet.

Anthurium Papillilaminum Care Guide – How to Grow Velvet Leaf Anthurium