Flamingo Flower Identification Guide
Identify Anthurium andraeanum by its glossy, heart-shaped leaves and waxy red, pink, or white spathes with a protruding yellow spadix.
Read the full Flamingo Flower encyclopedia entry →
Key Identifying Features
The Flamingo Flower (Anthurium andraeanum), also called flamingo lily or painter's palette, is famous for its glossy, waxy, heart-shaped colored bract (spathe) with a straight or curved spadix sticking out of the center.
- Heart-shaped, lacquered spathe in red, pink, white, coral, or burgundy
- A finger-like spadix (yellow, cream, or white) projecting from the spathe
- Dark green, glossy, heart-shaped leaves on long stalks
- Upright, clumping habit, typically 30-45 cm tall as a houseplant
Leaves & Stems
Leaves are heart-shaped (cordate), leathery, and very glossy, deep green, held on long upright petioles that emerge from a short central stem. The leaf tip tapers to a point and the surface looks polished. Veins are prominent and slightly sunken. New leaves unfurl from the crown.
The "flower" the public sees is actually a modified leaf (spathe), which is smooth, waxy, and often puckered/heart-shaped. It is this glossy artificial-looking bract, not true petals, that identifies the plant. Anthurium belongs to the arum family (Araceae).
Flowers & Fruit
The true flowers are tiny and packed onto the spadix, the central tail-like spike. As they mature the spadix may show a faint spiral of bumps and can change color along its length. The colorful spathe is a bract that attracts pollinators and lasts for weeks. Pollinated spadices can develop small berry-like fruits. The spadix-plus-spathe structure is the unmistakable signature of an aroid like Anthurium.
How to Tell It Apart from Look-Alikes
- Peace lily (Spathiphyllum) also has a spathe and spadix, but its spathe is thin, matte, and white/green, not the thick waxy red of flamingo flower, and its leaves are lance-shaped, not heart-shaped.
- Other anthuriums (A. clarinervium, bird's-nest types) are grown for foliage and have velvety or large strap leaves without the showy red spathe.
- Calla lily has a funnel-shaped spathe and arrow leaves, different habit.
- The stiff, glossy, heart-shaped colored spathe with a protruding straight spadix is diagnostic for A. andraeanum.
Where You'll Find It
Native to Colombia and Ecuador, growing as an epiphyte/terrestrial in humid tropical forests. Grown worldwide as a flowering houseplant and cut flower, prized because the spathes last for weeks. Indoors it wants warmth, humidity, and bright indirect light.
Quick ID Checklist
- Waxy, heart-shaped colored spathe (red/pink/white)
- Finger-like spadix protruding from center
- Glossy, dark green heart-shaped leaves
- Long upright leaf stalks from a central crown
- Long-lasting 'flowers' (really bracts)
Frequently asked questions
Is the red part actually a flower?
No. The glossy red heart-shaped part is a modified leaf called a spathe. The true flowers are the tiny bumps packed along the central tail-like spadix.
How do I tell a flamingo flower from a peace lily?
Flamingo flower has a thick, waxy, glossy spathe usually in red, pink, or white with heart-shaped leaves, while peace lily has a thin, matte white spathe and lance-shaped leaves.
Why does the spadix change color or texture?
As the tiny true flowers on the spadix mature, the spike can shift color and develop a slightly bumpy or spiraled texture. This is a normal part of the bloom cycle.
Is the flamingo flower toxic?
Yes, like other aroids it contains calcium oxalate crystals that are irritating if chewed, so keep it away from pets and small children.
Flamingo Flower identified by the community
Recent Flamingo Flower specimens identified with Plant Identifier.
