Full Specimen Plate
Anthurium metallicum
Metallic Anthurium
Aroid Atlas Price Guide
Select Plant Size
Pricing Data Key
Community price estimate based on limited sales history
Market Analysis
Anthurium metallicum Price Guide & Auction Value
Historical eBay auction metrics and live retailer listings updated weekly.
No eBay auction history available yet. Data is collected automatically as sales appear on eBay UK.
Before You Buy
Species-specific things to check when evaluating a listing
- Inspect new growth carefully for thrips — check the undersides of unfurling leaves for tiny dark insects or silvery streaking, as velvet anthuriums are a primary target
- Roots should be firm and pale — mushy or dark roots indicate rot often caused by poor transit conditions
- Avoid plants with more than one yellowing leaf; minor leaf loss in transit is normal but multiple yellows suggest stress before shipping
- Request a photo of the most recently unfurled leaf to judge current health — a crispy or damaged newest leaf is a red flag
Anthurium metallicum Morphology
About Anthurium metallicum
Anthurium metallicum, described by N.E. Brown, is a rare epiphytic or hemiepiphytic Anthurium from the humid shaded forests of Colombia and Ecuador. What distinguishes it is the metallic quality of the leaf surface — elongated, narrowly cordate to lanceolate blades of velvety dark green, with a strong midrib and prominent pale primary veins creating a burnished contrast against the dark lamina. The leaves attach with a peltate base. Short internodes and modest aerial roots keep the plant compact, and new growth often emerges with a distinct metallic sheen before darkening. Among the velvet anthuriums, metallicum is known for being both visually distinctive and difficult to source.
Native Range
Colombia
Propagation Guide
How to Propagate Anthurium metallicum
Root in a closed high-humidity environment. Mature specimens may produce basal offshoots that can be carefully divided. Patience is essential — establishment is slow.
Care Guide
Anthurium metallicum Care Guide & Growing Conditions
Very chunky, well-aerated mix: 40% orchid bark, 30% perlite, 20% sphagnum moss, 10% activated charcoal. Anthuriums suffocate in dense soil — roots need airflow.
Water when the substrate is nearly dry throughout. Less is more — overwatering is the primary killer of velvet anthuriums. Always use room-temperature water.
70–85% is essential. Below 60% causes stunted growth and curling leaves. A dedicated humidifier is strongly recommended for UK growers.
Low-nitrogen fertiliser (e.g. 5-10-10 or orchid fertiliser) at quarter strength every 3–4 weeks. High nitrogen produces lush but weak growth susceptible to pests.
Reluctantly — only when completely root-bound (every 2–3 years). These plants dislike disturbance and may sulk after repotting.
Common Problems
Yellowing leaves
Overwatering or root rot
Remove from pot, trim affected roots, repot into fresh dry substrate and reduce watering
Curling or crispy leaf edges
Low humidity or cold draughts
Increase humidity above 70% and move away from cold windows
Thrips
Common on velvet-leaf anthuriums; hard to detect early
Inspect new growth and leaf undersides regularly; treat with neem oil or systemic insecticide at first sign
The Weight of a Name
There are plants that earn their names immediately upon first sight, and *Anthurium metallicum* is emphatically one of them. That surface — dark velvety green with a pale primary venation that catches the light like hammered pewter — stops you completely. The peltate leaf attachment is an additional curiosity, lending the whole plant a slightly otherworldly quality, as if it belongs to some alternate evolutionary timeline. Native to Colombia and Ecuador, it lives epiphytically in humid shaded forest, doing its best impression of something jewelled and ancient. Sourcing one took the better part of a year and the goodwill of a contact in Bogotá. Worth every moment of waiting.
