I was wondering how common it is for Anthuriums to produce new plants from the roots? I don't mean like terrestrial ones that are planted and have new crowns emerge...I am talking about the more epiphytic ones like gracile/gracilis (always forget which it is) that have long training roots kind of like vanda orchids. I was just out working in the GH and noticed that my oldest gracile/gracilis has several (and I do mean several) little plantlets, for lack of a better term, growing directly off of the roots.
At first I thought that they were seedlings from seeds that had sprouted and fallen, but on close examination, they are attached to and have emerged directly from the roots of the mama plant. I can take a photo if you like. I am curious about it.
I have grown viviparous water lilies that make new plantlets on old dying leaves, is this sort of the same?
Anthurium question for Lari Ann
I'd love to see a picture of this as it sounds like a very unusual phenomenon for an Anthurium. Get as close up as you can so I can zoom in and see as much detail as possible.
Up until your note, I had never heard of plantlets forming on actual roots of Anthurium. But I'm ready for a surprise!
LariAnn
I'll get a photo tomorrow. Believe me, no one was more surprised than me. I'd go out now but its dark and the wild pigs might be rooting, LOL
Here is a picture of an anthurium a Fairchild that was doing this years ago. Craig Allen was working at the time and pointed it out to a few of us touring the conservatory.
Here is another pic of the flower fruit and root with new growth on it. I believe it was also a gracilis
That's exactly what mine is doing!!!!
MIne isn't quite as prolific as the one Brian took pics of. All in all it probably only has maybe 8 plantlets.
This is the mama plant. She has taken on a climbing growth pattern, has attached to a piece of corkbark located nearby where a small orchid is mounted
here is one of the plants growing from the roots.I thought maybe it'd be cool to try to mount these onto a plaque and see what happens
It seems this is not usually seen even on this plant unless the conditions are very favorable very high humidity warm temps and regular watering seem to have a lot of effect on the plant producing these root suckers.
Wow then I guess my plant must be in anthurium heaven. Yes its extremely hot here, the low last night was 77 and it was 90F before noon with sufficient humidity to put the heat index at 101F. The plant does get watered daily.
Wow, that is extremely interesting and I have never had the opportunity to see that phenomenon in any Anthurium! It gets my scientific mind going, wondering what kinds of experiments I could do in a well equipped lab/greenhouse. Ah, so many studies, so little time . . .
It will be interested to me to see if the little hybrids I raised from seed ever do this. They have the same basic root habit as the Gracilis, very very epiphytic tending toward trailing hanging roots