Anthurium Species, Birdnest, Birds Nest Anthurium, Spike Leaf

According to the scientific description, Anthurium hookeri has whitish seed berries, not red as is often believed. Anthurium hookeri is ...Read Morenot a member of section Pachyneurium as is commonly believed. This species is in a section all its own. Dr. Tom Croat wrote this in a personal message, "I personally think that it is in a new section of its own. It differs from any other section in having scalariforme interprimary veins and glandular punctations. We had hoped that molecular studies would help to sort out some of these questions but the last I heard my student Monica had not really gotten good resolution on all the sections." Scaliforme veins describes veins that are evenly spaced and glandular punctates describes tiny black dots.

The species is very distinctive since it has tiny black dots on lower leaf surfaces according to the message from botanist Dr. Tom Croat of the Missouri Botanical Garden. It appears many of the plants sold in South Florida as Anthurium hookeri are actually some hybrid form and not the species. The veins are also arranged in a very even "ladder-like" arrangement. The scientific description is now posted on the internet so you can compare your own specimens. But if you have the plant commonly sold in South Florida it is almost certain you have a hybrid rather than the species. This is a note from botanist David Scherberich with more information and a verified photo: "If you look closely at the underside of the leaves you should notice some very small dark points, this is characteristic of Anthurium hookeri. The glaucous bluish spadix is also typical."

Most plant sold with the name "Anthurium hookeri" are not that species. See this link for photos taken at the Missouri Botanical Garden: http://www.exoticrainforest.com/Anthurium hookeri pc.html

Red berries indicates you have something other than Anthurium hookeri according to the scientific description.
Although technical, please note the color of the berries as stated by the botanist that originally described the species to science.

This is the scientific description of Anthurium hookeri published in 1841:

A. hookeri Kunth, Enum. pl. 3:74. 1841. Type: Schott Drawing 517 serves as the lectotype (designated by Mayo, 1982)

Epiphyte. Internodes short, densely rooted; cataphylls lanceolate, 20-26 cm long, dilacerating from base. VERNATION- supervolute; Leaves rosulate; petioles triangular to D-shaped, 2-9 cm long, 1.5-1.7 cm wide; blades oblanceolate, broadest above middle, margins smooth, black glandular punctate on both surfaces, 35-89 cm long, 10-26 cm wide. primary lateral veins 9-15 per side, free to the margin, tertiary veins extending in a more or less parallel, ladder-like fashion between the primary lateral veins (scalariform). peduncle to 47 cm long, to 5 mm diam.; spathe pale green, tinged purple, oblong, to 9 cm long, to 1.5 cm wide; spadix violet-purple, cylindroid-tapered, to 10-16 cm long, to 5-7 mm diam,; Infructescence- berries, obovoid, whitish, to 6 mm long, to 4.5 mm wide.

This is the only species I have any personal experience with... grew great for many years in zone 9b (no longer have garden so not sure h...Read Moreow doing now). Stiff, upright leaves but flowers not too showy (brown and short-lived). Note the comments by above expert about fruits being white.