Anthurium

ඔබ මෙම ලිපිය සිංහල භාෂාවෙන් කියවීමට කැමතිනම් පහත දැක්වෙන යොමුව භාවිතයෙන් ලිපිය බාගත හැක.

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In order to identify a variety of Anthurium, it is necessary to understand the various parts of an Anthurium flower and a plant.  Following figure gives the details of different parts of an Anthurium plant.

When you closely observe the Anthurium plants of different varieties; you, your self, can understand how their various qualities vary from variety to variety.  Also, with the same variety, still you will find variation of qualities with the age of the flower and the leaves.  Mainly you can give your attention to following qualities;

Color of the Leaves

Although the color of the Anthurium leaves are normally green, it varies with the variety. Most common colors are greenish and reddish colors.  Also, the young leaves are having light colors and with the age, the color of leaves get darker.  When young leaves are red color, with the age, the reddish color turns to green or reddish green.  New leaves are shiny and with the time, the shine of the leaves get reduced.

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Shape of the Leaves

Different Anthurium varieties are having different shapes for their leaves.  The most common shape is heart shape.  Sometimes, the leave is cup shaped rather than flat.  Certain varieties have longer leaves.  In addition, the form of the veins and the mid rib varies with the variety.

In the case of a small plant, there are no flowers and therefore, the qualities of the leaves mainly help to identify a plant.   

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Color of Spathe

Color of spathe varies from variety to variety.  You would observe, mainly, there are number of common colors such as white, red, pink, yellow, black, green, and so on.  When you take one of the color, still you will find a large number of varieties with same color, but with slight variations.   At the same time, one can observe some varieties with a mix of two or more colors.  Most of the time, they have two colors and they are named as by-color varieties.

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Although, one identifies a variety with the color of its spathe, this color of the Spathe also changes with the age of the flower.  One good example is shown with the photograph given below.  Flower 1 is a young flower and its spathe has a bright, uniform and clear color.  When it is getting old (Flower 2), the brightness has reduced and the color is being faded away.  Also some different colors are adding to the spathe.  When the flower is getting older (Flower 3) the most of its original color and brightness has gone and it is now with a different color.  More than that, softness of the spathe has reduced and the spathe is getting hard with the age.

Shape of Spathe

Not only the color, but also the shape of spathe varies from variety to variety.  There are several common shapes such as Ribbon Shape, heart shape, Cup shape, Tulip Shape etc.  Also, there are certain varieties with little different to these shapes.

Color and texture of the Spadix

The spadix of the Anthurium is an interesting thing.  Although we say an Anthurium Flower, what we see as a whole is not really the flower.  The real flowers are on the surface of the Spadix, a bunch of flowers.  There are a larger number of flowers.  Once the spathe opens up, flowers like some small granular parts are forming on the Spadix and flowers on the spadix start blooming from bottom of the spadix. With time, blooming spreads towards the top of the spadix.  Therefore, just after opening the spathe, the spadix has a very tender and uniform color and it is very soft.  After some time, part of the spadix has bloomed and balance part is yet to be bloomed.  This can be felt when one touches or watches the spadix.  Then, the Spadix is in two color and there are two textures on the Spadix.  This change is used to decide the correct time of cutting an Anthurium flower so that the Anthurium cut flower can be kept for a maximum period without changing its quality.  The change of Spadix with the time can be easily understand with the following photographs.  After pollination of flowers, seeds are formed on the Spadix.

Further, it has been observed that the tip of the spadix changes and sometimes it is flat and sometimes pointed shape

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Color of the stalk

Stalk of the Anthurium flower and leaves take different colors in different varieties.  Like the other parts of the plant, the stalk also is having a tender color when the flower or the leave is young and it gets darker or color change when it is older.

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It has been found that Anthurium varieties with reddish or blackish Spathe, their stalk and younger roots also show similar colors. 

Now the important thing is that you need to understand and get the experience of these variations of different varieties in order to identify a certain variety of Anthurium.  Because of these variations, there are thousands of varieties of Anthurium found in the world and therefore, Anthurium is so colorful and beautiful. Due to the change of colors of the flower, leaves and the stalk with the age, you will find a number of different colors in the same plant which gives a Georges look. So, it is well suited for any residential decorations, using cut flowers or as an indoor plant, and for any ceremonial occasion.  Due to this reason, Anthurium flowers and plants are having a great demand in the international market.