Flamingo Flower
Sources last read 14 September 2026.
Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.
Also called Heart Flower, jack-in-the-pulpit, Painted Tongue, painter's palette, Pigtail Plant, Scherzer's flamingo plant and tail flower.
Flamingo Flower is toxic
- Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
- Toxic to people. Listed as harmful to people; the details of the harm could not be read from the source. RHS
What the sources say about its care
- Light
- Partial shadeRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Water
- Moist but well-drainedRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Humidity
No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.
ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026- Temperature
How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.
H1A — warmer than 15°C 15 °CRHS · read 13 September 2026- Soil
- Loam; pH Acid or NeutralRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to cats
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Toxic to dogs
- Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Harmful to people
- Listed as harmful to people; the details of the harm could not be read from the source.RHS · read 13 September 2026
Routine care
- Watering
- It needs light, airy soil; water once the soil feels dry.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026From spring to autumn, water generously and feed every 2 weeks with an orchid fertiliser. In winter, give little water and hold the temperature above 18°C.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Feeding
- More blooms come from a high-phosphorus fertilizer and from removing old, spent flowers.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026From spring to autumn, water generously and feed every 2 weeks with an orchid fertiliser.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Repotting
- Depending on how fast it grows, a new pot may be needed every few years.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Propagation
- Seed, stem cuttingsNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Offsets, division, or cuttings of stems or rhizomes work in spring or summer. Seed can be sown fresh, kept at 24 to 27°C.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pruning
- A high-phosphorus fertilizer, along with removing old spent flowers, promotes more blooms.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Pruning is not needed; cut dead leaves or flower stems off at the base.RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Pests and diseases
- Can be troubled by aphids.NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Can be troubled by scale insects and mealybugs. Diseases: root rot from overwatering, and leaf spot.RHS · read 13 September 2026
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Photographs
About the plant
Anthurium scherzerianum, the flamingo flower or pigtail plant, is a species of Anthurium native to Costa Rica. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit as an ornamental houseplant, kept at 15 °C (60 °F) or higher. It is naturally an epiphyte, growing on trees in the rainforest.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026
- Native range
- Costa RicaWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Costa RicaNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Costa RicaRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Climate
- wet tropicalWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- Growth form
- subshrub or epiphyteWorld Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026Herbaceous Perennial, Perennial; habit clumping, erect, roundedNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Clump forming (evergreen)RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Size
- Height 12–18 in; width 6–12 inNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Height 0.1-0.5 metres; spread 0.1-0.5 metres after 2–5 yearsRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Flowering
- Flowers orange, red/burgundy; blooms in spring, summerNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026Flowers orange in spring, summer, autumn and winter; red in spring, summer, autumn and winterRHS · read 13 September 2026
- Uses
What sources record people using this plant for. A traditional or medicinal use listed here is a record of use, not advice to eat it or treat anything with it.
Container plantNC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Other Anthurium
More of the Araceae family
Arrowhead plantEdges of the leaf blades brown while the middle stays sound
Calla lilyEdges of the leaves brown while the middle stays sound
Dumb caneLeaf tips go crisp and brown
Elephant earCrisp margins that appear in winter
Heartleaf philodendronA thin dry rim that crumbles between the fingers
MonsteraBrown brittle margins with a green centre
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Sources
- ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
- Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
- NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
- RHS · read 13 September 2026
- Wikipedia · read 13 September 2026
What this does not cover
The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.
Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.
If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.