King clarinervium

Anthurium 'King of Clarinervium' is the bolder, heavier veined answer to a collector favourite. Thick, stiff, heart shaped leaves hold a deep matte green that reads almost black in good light, mapped with a network of broad white veins that widen as the plant matures. New leaves emerge bronze and settle darker. It stays compact, which makes it as happy in a plant cabinet or terrarium as it is on a bright shelf, and it is one of the most striking velvet leaf anthuriums in cultivation.

About the name
'King of Clarinervium' is a trade name used across the collector market for large, heavily veined plants in the Anthurium clarinervium group. Growers who keep both describe it as darker, wider veined and a touch more spade shaped than the standard species. Its parentage has never been published, so it is sold under the king name rather than as a documented cross. The species itself lives on limestone outcrops in the humid forests of Chiapas, in southern Mexico.

Care
Bright, indirect light keeps the veining crisp, while direct midday sun will scorch the velvet surface. Pot it in a chunky aroid mix of bark and perlite so water drains fast and air reaches the roots, and water once the top few centimetres have dried. Humidity is what separates a thriving plant from a struggling one: it wants far more than the average room offers, so a terrarium, glass cabinet or humid corner pays off. Keep it above 15C year round and warmer through winter. Like all anthuriums it is toxic if eaten, and the sap can irritate skin.