Anthurium crystallinum 'Bullate'
Bullate Crystal Anthurium
UK price
£25 to £80
Price by size
- Sold, 90 days
- 0
- Middle half
- -
- Last sold
- -
- On record
- 0
- Sale
- Typical
- Middle half
- Estimate
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About Anthurium crystallinum 'Bullate'
Anthurium crystallinum 'Bullate' is a texture mutation of the standard velvet-leaf crystallinum, distinguished by pronounced quilting and blistering across the leaf surface. Where the standard species carries flat, velvety blades, this form's leaf tissue puckers between the primary veins, giving each leaf a three-dimensional, tufted appearance that catches light differently from different angles. The bright white venation of crystallinum remains fully intact, tracing crisply over the raised, uneven surface. It sells at a significant premium over standard crystallinum because stable bullate forms are difficult to source and slow to bulk up.
Native range
Cultivated texture-form selection of the species native to Colombia and Peru.
Classification
- Genus
- Anthurium
- Family
- Araceae
- Type
- Sport
- Growth habit
- Epiphytic, compact rosette
- Form of
- Anthurium crystallinum
Morphology
- Leaf shape
- Broadly cordateHeart-shaped foliage, featuring a rounded notch (sinus) where the leaf stem attaches., heavily quilted
- Leaf length
- 25-40 cm
- Leaf width
- 20-32 cm
- Petiole colour
- Dark green, terete
- Venation
- Bright white primary and secondary veins
- Texture
- Bullate, velvety, raised puckering
- Variegation
- N/A
- Growth habit
- Compact basal rosette
Recent UK sales
No UK eBay sales recorded for this plant yet.
For sale in the UK
Before you buy
- Check the growing point (the newest, unopened leaf) for firmness — softness here usually means rot has already reached the crown
- Look at the root system through the drainage holes if possible; healthy roots are firm and pale, not brown and mushy
- Confirm you're buying true species crystallinum and not one of its common hybrids, which are often sold under the same name
- As one of the more affordable velvet anthuriums, treat an unusually high asking price as a reason to ask more questions, not fewer
Anthurium crystallinum 'Bullate' care
- Substrate
- A chunky, open aroid mix — equal parts orchid bark, perlite and coco chunk, with a smaller portion of moss or coco coir for moisture retention — mimics the loose, well-aerated leaf litter these grow in naturally. Standard potting compost alone stays too wet around the roots.
- Watering
- Water thoroughly, then let the top third of the mix dry before watering again. Velvet-leaf anthuriums are more sensitive to root rot than most houseplants, so err on the side of underwatering rather than keeping it constantly damp.
- Humidity
- High, 70-85%. Consistent humidity keeps the crystalline vein contrast and velvet texture at their best; average room humidity alone tends to show it within a few weeks.
- Feeding
- Feed at quarter to half strength every 2 weeks in the growing season with a balanced, nitrogen-forward fertiliser; drop to monthly over winter. Heavy fertilising scorches the fine root system faster than it helps growth.
- Repotting
- Repot every 12-18 months, or when roots fill the pot and start pushing the plant upward. Choose a pot only slightly larger than the current one; these dislike being over-potted into a large volume of slow-drying mix.
Common problems
Root rot
Cause: Substrate that stays wet, often from a mix that's too dense or a pot with poor drainage
Fix: Repot into a chunkier mix immediately, trim away any mushy roots, and let the plant recover in a smaller pot before sizing up again
Thrips or spider mite damage
Cause: Dry air and still conditions, especially indoors over winter
Fix: Increase humidity and airflow together, and treat visible pest damage with a systemic or contact treatment rather than water alone
Mislabelled as one of its own hybrids
Cause: Tissue-cultured crystallinum, crystallinum × magnificum and crystallinum × forgetii are frequently confused in the trade
Fix: Compare venation density and leaf shape against reference photos of true species crystallinum before buying, especially at a species-level price
Gear for this plant
- Premium New Zealand Sphagnum Moss, 100gLong-fibre sphagnum for air-layering, top-dressing, and epiphyte substrate mixes.
- Natural Rooting Powder, 3 x 75gRooting hormone powder for stem and leaf cuttings.
- Precision Bonsai Pruning Scissors, 200mmFine-bladed snips for clean node cuts when taking a cutting.
- Humidity Dome, Heavy-Duty Germination KitVented propagation dome for holding humidity around fresh cuttings.
How to propagate Anthurium crystallinum 'Bullate'
- Methods
- Stem cutting, Offset (keiki). Step-by-step guide
- Difficulty
- Challenging. Needs stable humidity, consistent moisture, and bright indirect light to thrive. Best suited to experienced aroid growers.
- Time to establish
- 8-14 months
- Notes
- Divides cleanly at the base once a plant has produced multiple growth points — separate with a clean cut, dust with cinnamon or a fungicide, and pot each division into fresh, chunky aroid mix. Top cuttings with at least one node and aerial root also root reliably in damp sphagnum.