Anthurium Dark Lotus
Anthurium 'Black Diamond' (Anthurium regale × Anthurium luxurians) × Anthurium papillilaminum

A three-lineage hybrid assembling three of the most texturally compelling compact-to-medium anthuriums in the collector world into a single cross of considerable complexity and ambition. The Black Diamond parent — itself a hybrid of Anthurium regale and Anthurium luxurians — contributes two complementary characters simultaneously: regale's large-scale, broadly cordate, velvety leaf constitution and prominent venation; and luxurians' deeply bullate, lacquer-glossy, three-dimensionally quilted surface in which each interveinal section rises into a pronounced convex blister. Against this already textured foundation, Anthurium papillilaminum introduces the third lineage — the celebrated Panamanian understory species with its thick, muscular, densely papillose-velvety surface texture, characteristic ribbed and winged petioles, and the deep mahogany to reddish-brown emergent coloration that papillilaminum passes so reliably into its offspring. The 'Dark Lotus' name captures the resulting aesthetic precisely — a leaf that is simultaneously dark, deeply textured, and of considerable formal elegance, where the bullate quilting from the luxurians lineage plays out across a surface that carries papillilaminum's velvet constitution, producing a three-dimensional, tactilely extraordinary leaf of substantial presence and near-black mature pigmentation. New leaves emerge in rich, saturated mahogany tones from the papillilaminum lineage before darkening to the deep, near-black mature coloration. Individual seedling expression varies as with all multi-lineage crosses.

• Light: Bright but soft indirect light — the dark pigmentation from papillilaminum is sensitive to high-intensity exposure; lower fc levels than most velvet anthuriums support the deepest coloration. Avoid direct sun.

• Soil: Very open, chunky epiphytic mix of orchid bark, perlite, and coco coir with excellent drainage and aeration; luxurians lineage in particular is prone to root rot in waterlogged conditions.

• Temperature/Humidity: Warm temperatures between 65-80°F; high humidity of 70-80%+ is essential for maintaining the velvet surface quality and bullate texture from both parent lineages.

• Watering: Keep consistently but lightly moist — allow only the top inch to approach dryness. Never waterlog; never allow to dry out fully.

• Fertilizer: Feed with a balanced liquid fertilizer supplemented with calcium every 4-6 weeks during active growth; dilute to half strength. Reduce in winter.