Here is a list of things to look for to determine if the plant is Anthurium schlechtendalii. This species is variable and these characteristics may not always remain stable but these are the norms: The roots should be a thick greenish mass with each root approximately 3 to 8 mm diameter. The cataphylls should be moderately thick as well as 7.5 to 16 cm long. The cataphyll in case you arenÂt familiar with the term is the modified leaf that wraps around any newly emerging leaf. It will emerge green but once it dies will dry brown and then persist on the petiole as a mass of fibers. The petioles that support the leaves should be app. 12 to 23 cm long but in almost all cases will be trapezoidal at the bottom of the petiole. When imagining the trapezoid look at the petiole as if you had cut it in half and are looking at it as s cross section. The petiole may sometimes be sharply bluntly ribbed and also have widest on the upper surface. Be sure and look for shallow grooves running parallel to each other. This known as being sulcate and may require a magnifying glass to see well. The geniculum will be 1 to 2 cm long. The leaf should be widest near or above middle with both the upper and lower surfaces matte to semiglossy. Look at the big vein in the middle of the leaf known as the midrib. The upper surface should be flat to weakly rounded near the base of the leaf. Sometimes it is weakly ribbed at the apex or tip of the leaf but it will be square at base on the underside but rounds as it approaches the tip of the leaf. There should be 15 to 16 primary lateral venison each side if the upper side of the leaf and those veins will be raised on both the upper and lower surfaces. The minor veins will be scarcely visible. You will also notice a collective vein near the edge (margin) of the leaf That collective vein should begin from the tip of a primary lateral vein about one quarter down from the tip blade and will run about 2 to 5 mm from edge (margin) of the leaf. The collective vein will be sunk on the upper side of the blade but raised on the underside. The peduncle that is the stalk that is supporting your inflorescence should measure approximately 33 to 43 cm long and should be round but at places also weakly flattened as well as ribbed. The spathe should feel leathery as well as green but heavily tinged with violet/purple. Generally it is lance shaped but is something that didnÂt appear quite right to me. If you have seen the berries on the spadix they will always be red. Check these things and let me know. If it doesnÂt match well weÂll look at other species. Steve

Well, I have heard Kerriodoxa are slow growing. Unfortunate that yours didn't travel so well. But you're probably right about keeping it. Once it settles in it should come good. Mine gets filtered sun through tree canopy and is pretty well protected from wind. I'd still love to be able to get a J. magnifica, but they're just never available. Back to the Anthurium, I've found a better ID, A. madisonianum. It matches virtually perfectly on the leaves. There was also a comment that it is closest to A. furcatum, but they then go on about the inflorescence. I don't have an inflorescence to check against. They say it's an epiphyte, "stems green, ca. 20 cm long, ca. 3.5 cm diam." Mine doesn't have a stem and another growing tip is emerging from the side. What's worrying me is that it's in heavy soil. The nursery I got it from seems to have a habit of putting heavy soil in pots. Probably I should repot it in something like an orchid mix. It's mid winter but it's growing reasonably well, despite the soil. They say it's "endemic to western Panama in premontane and lower montane rain forest at 450 to 2,200 m". So, until I get an inflorescence to check out, it's going to have to be A. madisonianum.

I agree with Bihai - it's Anthurium scherzerianum. As for growing it in the ground, my guess ( and it's only a guess ) is that you'd run into three problems: 1) This plant is somewhat marginal outside, depending on exactly what part of zone 9B you are in - it won't be too happy with low humidity or hot sun, and it doesn't deal well with prolonged cold, wet weather. 2) Drainage - I'd be willing to bet that in a winter rainfall climate, this plant will have problems with less than perfect drainage. Most outside beds have less than perfect drainage. 3) It's a medium elevation tropical plant, commonly found in Costa Rica. I'd guess it won't deal well with freezes, though it may do okay with occasional moderate cold. I've seen cultivars of Scherzianum growing outside year round in Southern California very close to the ocean, but otherwise, most people grow this inside, even in 9B... --Albert Here is a link that might be useful: aroid.org - Anthurium Scherzerianum

I have no idea, but I will guess a sieboldiana! A picture would help if you can post one. Just enjoy it as you have ben doing all those 40 years. Connie