Anthurium Terminology Cheat Sheet

Hello! The contents of this page are based on information I've gleaned from a variety of different sources (Facebook groups, forums, YouTube videos, online articles, discussions with other plant friends, etc.). It is correct to the best of my knowledge but I am in no way an expert or a horticultural professional. This blog post is meant only to share what I've learned over the past 3 years as a hobbyist. If any of the information I've posted here is incorrect, please let me know and I will correct it.

Thank you all!




Let's be real. Anthuriums are confusing.

When I first started getting into more ✨ f a n c y ✨ anthuriums, it felt like learning a whole new language. The community as a whole has developed a lot of shorthand names for popular hybrids and species, and unless you have been around for a while and know exactly which plant people are referring to, you might feel a little bit lost.

When I started out, not only did I have no idea what a "RLFS" was, but I was equally at a loss for what shorthand terms like "aff." and "sp. nov." meant.

I've decided to break up the information into two posts. For a rundown on all those Latin-based shorthand terms and botanical naming conventions, check out my article titled Botanical Taxonomy & Nomenclature.

For your "cheat sheet" on common terms and plant names floating around the anthurium hobbyist community, stick around and keep on scrolling.

Here we go!

Anthurium Terminology

Clone	A "clone" refers to any plant produced via vegetative cutting, thus making it genetically identical to the original plant. A selfed plant is NOT a clone. Any type of sexual reproduction, even with itself, introduces genetic variation.
Offset	An offset is a specific type of clone. Anthuriums often "pup," producing offsets that can be separated from the parent plant, potted up and grown separately. If you hear someone use the term "division" when talking about anthuriums, they're probably talking about an offset.
x self or just "selfed"	Refers to any plant that has been bred with itself. Ex: Anthurium (crystalinum x magnificum) x self Selfed plants do not always resemble the parent plant, and it's important to keep track of & note when hybridizing anthuriums as it makes a difference in genetics as well as market value.
Blister variegation	Refers to a rare form of variegation on anthuriums (as well as some other aroids) that looks like the silver veining on the leaf has bled or "popped" like a blister (sorry for the visual). I currently own a blister variegated red crystal x pap that looks rather funky and cool.
F1	Short for "fili 1" F1 refers to the first generation of seedlings produced between two genetically different parents. Ex: Anthurium dorayaki F1 A receptive A. dorayaki fertilized with pollen from another A. dorayaki will produce hybrid seedlings that are A. dorayaki F1 (first generation). In anthurium breeding, the parent plants would be selected based on genetic traits you find most desirable and want to bring out in the seedlings.  (Source)
F2	Short for "fili 2" Refers to the second generation of hybrid seedlings produced by parents selected from the previous (F1) generation of seedlings. It is common for novice plant hybridizers to refer to selfed seedlings as "F2." This is incorrect. Ex: Anthurium dorayaki F2 vs. Anthurium dorayaki x self After your initial cross with two different A. dorayaki parent plants, you notice a couple of the seedlings in your F1 batch have brighter & thicker silver venation than others. Once they reach flowering maturity, you choose the two plants with the brightest silver and breed them. The seedlings produced from this cross are now A. dorayaki F2 (second generation). A receptive A. dorayaki flower pollinated with it's own pollen will produce seedlings that are A. dorayaki x self, not A. dorayaki F2. In hybridizing, you need to start with 2 different parent plants to create your first F1 generation. Note: My example here is overly simplified. In your typical breeding program, you'll have much more than 2 parent plants at any given time, but I wanted to keep things easy.
F3, F4, etc.	Short for "fili 3," "fili 4," etc. Just like last time, the third generation of seedlings will be produced from parents selected out of the previous (F2) generation of plants. If you select your two favorite plants from the F2 batch and breed them, the resulting seedlings will be A. dorayaki F3 (third generation). This can continue for as long as you keep selecting & breeding generations of plants (I currently have a plant crossed with an A. dorayaki F8). Anthurium breeding is a repetitive process of selecting parents from the previous generation and breeding them, continually choosing parents for the genetic traits you want in an effort to produce plants that look and grow the way you want. After several generations and careful selection, it's possible to produce a hybrid plant that looks completely different from the parent plants you originally started out with.
Open pollinated	In anthuriums, this refers to flower pollination via an uncontrolled method, such as wind, insects, birds, animals, etc. Generally, if a seedling is "x open," the pollen parent is unknown for certain and thus produces an unknown hybrid. In a hobby where collectors love to know the provenance & breeding of their plants, this can be undesirable (though I think it's a good way to get cool-looking hybrids for cheap 😉). This is slightly different from how the term is used in agriculture. While pollen still floats around by natural means (wind, insects, etc.), the pollen is of the same "type" & not a hybrid (picture a field of corn), thus producing seeds that grow similarly to the parent crops.
Bench hybrid	Colloquially used to describe an open pollinated anthurium, often in a greenhouse setting where there are numerous plants shelved on/under greenhouse benches.
Anthurium NOID	Short for Anthurium "No ID" Used by the plant community to refer to a specimen whose true identity is unknown by the grower or seller. There are endless ways this could happen. Perhaps the grower lost the tag and doesn't remember what it is. Maybe the plant was bought under one name but over time, the grower determined that the original ID was incorrect.
Ecotype	Refers to a population of plants found in a particular region or local environment. These plants will often be specially adapted to that environment's unique conditions, and are thus genetically distinct from other plants in the same species. In essence, an "ecotype" is a subspecies.
Germination	Germination refers to the sprouting of a seed. Anthurium breeders commonly sell both fresh (non-germinated) and germinated seeds. Generally, it is better to buy germinated seeds because non-germinated seeds are not guaranteed to sprout; not every seed harvested will be viable. I would caution against buying fresh seeds unless you are buying a multi-pack, and to be prepared for the possibility that not all of them will germinate.
Community pot	When planting freshly harvested anthurium seeds, some growers will place them all into one large pot or container with their media of choice (moss, tree fern fiber, etc.) to germinate. This pot is called a "community pot." After the seeds have germinated and pushed out their first leaves, many growers will then separate the seedlings out into their own pots to continue growing. Beware that if you leave seedlings in a communal container for too long, it can be difficult to separate them once it comes time to be potted up. Just trust me.
Cataphyll growth or "in cataphyll"	When your plant is a young, new leaves emerge from the petiole of the previous leaf. When your plant reaches flowering maturity, new leaves begin to emerge from this spiky protrusion at the center of the plant called a cataphyll. This makes room for an inflorescence to grow at the base of the leaf petiole. Grant Abadal has a great anthurium anatomy basics post complete with pics.
Inflorescence or "inflo"	Refers to the reproductive structure of an anthurium. While most of us hobbysits call it a "flower," the actual flowers are teeny tiny and are located all along the spadix. For visual learners like me, @lostintheforrestco has a cute anthurium flower anatomy post on Instagram. Grant also has a much more in depth  post on inflos & pollination.

Anthurium Names

Anthurium BVEP	Short for Anthurium "Black Velvet Eastern Panama," a deliciously dark and velvety anthurium species. It has recently been renamed to Anthurium "antolakii" but still often goes by "BVEP" (Source).
Anthurium sp. nov “DF”	Short for “species nova Dewey Fisk” This is a placeholder name for a highly sought after (& really cool looking) dark velvety anthurium with flared lobes. It was found in the private collection of aroid hobbyist Dewey Fisk who in turn received it from Jay Vannini. For more information: https://www.monsterax.com/introducing-anthurium-sp-nov-df
Anthurium papillilaminum FS	Sometimes referred to as just Anthurium FS or pap FS. Short for papillilaminum "Fort Sherman." Ft. Sherman is an OG form of wild-collected papi that has been in plant collections for decades (Jay Vannini references collecting this plant in the 1980s). It's a dark, velvety pap originating from a region adjacent to the Panama Canal (Source).
Anthurium papillilaminum RL	Sometimes referred to as just Anthurium RL or pap RL. Short for papillilaminum "Ralph Lynam." Like the Ft. Sherman, Ralph Lynam is an OG form of wild-collected papi that has been in plant collections for decades. It's a dark, velvety pap originating from a region adjacent to the Panama Canal.
Anthurium RLFS, FSRL, RL x FS, FS x RL	However you arrange it, these letters refer to a popular cross between pap "Fort Sherman" and "Ralph Lynam." Jay Vannini (& probably others) have been hybridizing these 2 forms of papi for many decades. According to Vannini's notes, these plants produce fairly uniform offspring with dark upper leaf surfaces & pink to reddish violet undersides (Source).
Anthurium RC	Short for "red crystallinum" or simply "red crystal" There appear to be multiple cultivars of red crystallinum around these days, and I've been unable to determine it's origin as I've seen different assertions on where this plant originally came from. No matter what, it's a really beautiful plant typically featuring dark leaves, bright red/pink emergent leaves and bold red venation.
Anthurium AOS	Short for "Ace of Spades" This is a really cool spade-shaped hybrid of unknown origin. It's common to find both a green & dark form.
Anthurium DP	Short for "Dark Phoenix" This is a really popular and beautiful hybrid mostly sold out of Indonesia. If you can't find one locally, exporters like Kartel Daun often have it. DP is generally accepted as being a A. papillilaminum x A. dressleri hybrid.
Anthurium CP	Short for "Circus Peanuts" I don't see this shorthand too often, but I do see it on social media from time to time. Similar to Delta Force, Circus Peanuts is a genetically distinct plant derived from A. dressleri x A. leucostachyum. It was produced by Mike Bush in the early 1980s, and Selby Gardens named it "Mike's Goliath" to honor him (Source). However, Tom Croat coined the unofficial name "Circus Peanuts" because of the sickly sweet candy smell the flower produces. According to Donna Atwood of Selby Gardens, the name was a joke, but the hobbyist community has latched onto it and generally refers to it as CP and not Mike's Goliath.
Anthurium FTG or FTG crystallinum	Refers to to beautiful & unique crystallinum hybrid by Fairchild Tropical Gardens (FTG)
NSE	Refers to plants grown by NSE Tropicals, a well-known plant nursery in Florida owned & operated by Enid Offolter. Ex: NSE crystallinum, A. sp. NSE portillae (also known as "Dorito" portillae for it's triangular shape), NSE dressleri
SKG	Refers to plants grown by Silver Krome Gardens in Florida. Ex: SKG grey, SKG silver, SKG red crystallinum
Tezula	Refers to plants grown by Tezula Plants in Florida. Ex: Tezula Ace of Spaces, Tezula red crystallinum
DF or df	Short for "dark form" Ex: Anthurium Tezula AOS DF, A. forgetii df
Anthuriun KOS or HU	Short for "King of Spades" or "Haji Uli" KOS is a really cool hybrid of unknown parentage bred by well-known Indonesian breeder Haji Uli. The plant is sometimes referred to on the market by his initials (HU). Prior to being called "King of Spades," Indonesian sellers sold this plant under all sorts of names, including "red magnificum."
Anthurium TALL	Short for "Tim Anderson Long Leaf" Often comes in two different forms, TALL 'A' and TALL 'B'. I have been able to find ZERO information online about the origin of this plant or even any info on Tim Anderson himself other than he's a long-time anthurium hybridizer and grower. If anyone has any info they'd like to provide, drop a comment below!
Anthurium papillilaminum L x LB	Short for "long x long bullet" This is a pretty form of papillilaminum featuring a more sharp & elongated leaf shape. After searching the internet, I wasn't able to find any information about it's origin.
Anthurium Novelty Ace or Noveltyg AOS	Refers to a popular plant sold under the name "Ace of Spades" by @noveltyg on eBay. Based on online discussions, this plant is NOT a true AOS, but it's still dark, velvety, and pretty. We love her. I've even seen some collectors call it Hawaiian-form AOS.
RA1, RA2, RA3, etc.	Refers to select types of wild papillilaminum clones sold by Rory Antolak ("RA"). I don't know when exactly this numbering system began, but probably somewhere around 2021. There's a really great explanation by Grant Abadal on papi numbering in the Anthurium Addicts Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/anthuriumaddicts/permalink/1023359142300387. For anyone not in the group, I've copy/pasted Grant's Facebook post in a separate blog post: https://www.kayla-lynn.com/2023/12/clarification-unnumbered-papillilaminum.html
RA	Refers to plants grown & sold by Rory Antolak. Collectors often use the shorthand "RA" to indicate that a plant was obtained from Rory. Ex: Anth. portillae RA, Anth. dressleri RA, Anth. carlablackiae RA
Anthurium dressleri RG	Short for "Río Guanche" This refers to a species of Anth. dressleri belonging to the Río Guanche ecotype (Colón Province, Panama). These plants were bred and released into the aroid collector market by Jay Vannini. The most desirable & sought after form of RG dress sports incredibly dark, near-black leaves. However, since this is a recessive genetic trait, this characteristic is rare. (Source) Note: When talking about papis, RG might mean Ree Gardens, as in the famous A. papillilaminum 'Ree Gardens'. If you've never seen one, it's worth a looksy because I think this form of papi is ICONIC.
Anthurium Indo dressleri	This plant is NOT a true dressleri. I repeat: NOT a dressleri. Don't pay dressleri prices for it. Plants sold as "Indo dressleri" or "dressleri Indo form" are typically NOID anthuriums from Indonesia. They can still be cool plants, just be aware of what you're buying.
Anthurium "Windy" dressleri	Refers to a popular form of A. dressleri grown & sold by Windy Aubrey. I've seen one reference to the fact that Windy's dressleri was derived from Jay Vannini's Río Guanche clone, so I'm not sure if Windy dressleri's are genetically distinct or if people are just noting that they obtained their dressleri from Windy the way people do with Scott & Rory papis. (Source)
OG1, OG2, OG3, etc.	Refers to select types of wild carlablackiae clones sold by Scott Cohen and originally obtained from Rory Antolak. These plants are numbered separately from the RA line of papillilaminums. (Source)
SC1, SC2, SC3, etc.	Similar to Rory's paps, this refers to select papillillaminum clones sold by Scott Cohen ("SC").
Wu1, Wu2, Wu3, etc.	Refers to lines of select plants produced by Wuhoo Tropicals in Texas. Species of plants currently going by this naming scheme include A. 'Red Crystalinum,' A. papillilaminum, and A. carlablackiae. (Source)