Anthurium Magnificum Care

Anthurium magnificum is one of the less-fussy rare anthuriums to care for, in my experience. Learn about anthurium magnificum care, including its light, soil, water, and humidity needs!

How do you take care of Anthurium magnificum?

This will be my second anthurium post, though I think I am publishing them out of order. Sometimes I start writing posts, set them down, and don’t come back for weeks. It just depends…and in this case, I sat this one down for a while.

My first anthurium post was about the anthurium warocqueanum, which is a gorgeous and very interesting looking plant. Anthurium magnificum is today’s plant, though—and it’s also a really cool looking plant. Magnificent, I’d even say 😉

What is an anthurium magnificum?

An anthurium magnificum is a species of plant in the genus anthurium, which is in the aroid (araceae) family. It is native to Colombia, where it enjoys warm, humid temperatures and jungle-like growing conditions.

Magnificum has large heart-shaped leaves with a thick texture. The leaves themselves are a medium green with somewhat of a sheen—and this makes the nearly white veining on the plant stand out even more.

Is Anthurium magnificum a philodendron?

No, anthurium magnificum plants are not philodendrons. Anthurium and Philodendron are both separate genuses in the aroid (araceae) family. That does make them related, though their care needs can be somewhat different.

Even philodendrons—a massive genus with loads of different species and varieties—can have plants with varying care needs. But you will find some philodendrons that have a similar look to magnificums with large heart-shaped leaves—like the philodendron gloriosum pictured below.

Generally what sets the anthurium magnificum apart from philodendrons is the leaf thickness and texture. It’s also a bit harder to keep happy as a houseplant. (View all of my philodendron care posts for more.)

Is anthurium magnificum a hybrid?

I couldn’t find anything indicating that anthurium magnificum is a hybrid, though please do send me a note correcting me if you know more on this topic. I did find some info to suggest that magnificum is not a hybrid, though.

That info is the fact that there are many gorgeous hybrid anthuriums that have the magnificum as one of the parent plants. For example, an anthurium that is a cross between the magnificum and anthurium clarinervium.

What is the difference between anthurium crystallinum and magnificum?

Another anthurium that is commonly confused with magnificum is the anthurium crystallinum (pictured below). In fact, when I got my plants, I did have to double check my IDs before potting. Especially when the plants are younger, they look very similar!

In general, both grow large leaves that have a gorgeous contrast between the leaf color and the lighter veining. Both leaves are also quite thick and leathery. However, the leaves on a crystallinum are a darker green, while the magnificum has more of a medium green.

I believe that the crystallinum leaves are also a bit less heart-shaped, instead with a shape more like an oval. And if the plants are the same level of maturity, the crystallinum’s leaves will also be smaller.

(Note that I do own an anthurium crystallinum. However, I have had some care challenges with this one so far, so I am waiting to write about it until I can do some more troubleshooting!)

Is anthurium magnificum rare?

In the U.S., yes. Anthurium magnificum is challenging to find. Check local nurseries that specialize in rare plants. However, you’ll pay a hefty price tag that I was never willing to pay.

You can consider buying off of a Facebook buy/sell/trade group to keep costs down, or you can import your plant. That’s what I did, and it sounds a lot less scary than it is! The required phytosanitary certificate and shipping are a lot, but if you split an order with someone else, you can help keep costs down. 

Also check for pop-up events where companies from abroad will bring plants to sell. In these cases, you’ll probably still pay a lot if you buy a plant the day of. If you pre-order from a popup like I did, you’ll get a steal of a deal! Mine was only $44.

How much light does an anthurium magnificum need?

Magnificum is not a low-light plant. It needs plenty of bright indirect light. Indoors, I currently have mine under LED grow lights that stay on about 10-12 hours a day. I do this because I don’t have space right now in front of a sunny window.

If you have space in front of a sunny window, that’s a great spot for your anthurium magnificum. However, make sure the plant doesn’t get too much direct light. This will burn the leaves, and once that happens, you can’t reverse the damage.

If you don’t live in the tropics and you move your plant outdoors for the spring and summer like I do, select a spot that gets dappled sunlight or that is shaded. I put all of my tropical houseplants under a tree or under pruned bush to shield them from most of the sun.

This works out very well, because even though it is the shade, the light remains bright and indirect all day. Some direct morning sun is probably okay, but keep an eye on things.

Anthurium magnificum care & soil needs

A chunky, loose, well-draining potting mix works well for an anthurium magnificum. I potted mine in a mixture designed for indoor plants that came premixed with additives to enhance drainage and lighten the soil.

I then added a few handfuls of coco coir and chunky coconut husks to help enhance the soil a bit more. When I water the plant, all of the excess water is able to flow freely from the pot’s drainage holes while retaining the necessary amount of water for the plant to grow.

Loose, chunky soils also help to encourage aeration and the flow of oxygen to the plant’s roots. This is an often overlooked but essential part of plant growth for many tropical plants.

I bought a bag of coconut husks on Amazon—it’s designed for reptile enclosures. You could also substitute this ingredient with orchid bark instead. Perlite is another good option to enhance drainage, and coco coir is a wonderful alternative to peat moss.

Watering needs

I touched on watering a bit in the soil section. But if you have a nice well-draining chunky soil, watering your anthurium magnificum is a breeze. The soil should remain moist and never completely dry out as with some other types of houseplants.

I recommend waiting until the top few inches dry out before watering the plant again. This is roughly weekly for my plant in the spring and summer indoors. Every few weeks in the fall and winter when there is less light and lower temperatures. 

However, keeping the soil too wet will choke out the plant’s roots and lead to rot. This is another reason why a well-draining soil is so important—if it is well-draining, it helps to prevent overwatering.

Signs of an underwatered anthurium magnificum include very dry, caked soil and wrinkling leaves. If you have underwatered your magnificum, use a fork to break up the top few inches of the caked soil. 

If you don’t do this, water might not get to all of the roots, instead running down the sides of the pot where the soil has shrunk away and left a gap. Give it a deep drink, flushing the soil completely until water runs out of the pot’s drainage holes. Then 

Signs of an overwatered magnificum include yellowing, drooping leaves and, of course, wet soil. Fungus gnats might also move in since they love wet soil. The first thing to do is let your plant dry out a bit.

You can also use a fork to lightly aerate the top few inches of soil and enhance some of the air flow. If your soil is too heavy, repot the plant to something looser and well-draining.

When you do so, check the roots for signs of rot. Trim off gray or black mushy roots and replant your mafnificum in fresh, loose soil. Give it a drink and monitor the soil moisture for a few days until it is time to water the plant again.

Keep in mind that light levels and soil both greatly impact how often you need to water your plant, so checking the soil is always best.

Temperature & humidity needs

Not much to say here—you’ve probably gathered that the anthurium magnificum is a warm-weather-loving plant! It enjoys temperatures in the 70s and 80s and will be just fine in the 90s. Just monitor to make sure you don’t need to up your watering intervals due to moisture evaporation.

This is absolutely not a cold-tolerant plant, so if you have it outdoors, it needs to come inside before temperatures drop into the 50s at night. Also, it will need far less water in the fall and winter when it typically goes dormant (as a houseplant). 

Humidity—lots! That’s why I currently have mine in my glass greenhouse cabinet, where ambient humidity levels are typically 10-20% higher than my home. You can also set your plant near a humidifier.

Or, if you live somewhere that gets warm and humid in the summer, give it a vacation outside in a spot protected from direct light. It will feel like it’s back home and will thank you with healthy new growth!

Anthurium magnificum care: Growth & fertilizer needs

While the leaves on an anthurium magnificum can get pretty big (up to almost a foot long in ideal conditions), the plant itself can grow to several feet tall.

In ideal conditions, it will be almost as tall as you. As a houseplant, it will probably get to a couple feet tall with proper care. You can help it along with a bit of fertilizer—either a diluted houseplant fertilizer, or an organic concentrate like I use.

I’ve started using Liqui-Dirt roughly every month or so on my houseplants. With Liqui-Dirt, you just add a bit to your watering can and don’t run the risk of burning your plants like you do with chemical fertilizers. 

I did this years ago, so I’m probably more paranoid than I need to be. Just know that if you do use fertilizer, make sure it is diluted. And if you’re using a chemical fertilizer, you should flush the soil out with water (literally just water while it drains out of the drainage holes) for a few minutes every few months.

How do you repot Anthurium magnificum?

You’ll know when it’s time to repot your anthurium magnificum when its roots are growing out of its drainage holes. Size the pot up an inch or so and make sure to mix in plenty of fresh well-draining soil to replenish nutrients.

You can loosen the root ball a bit when you repot the plant, but you don’t have to. I find that plants generally respond better to repotting  when I don’t mess with the root ball and when I repot in spring.

How do you propagate an anthurium magnificum?

You can propagate the anthurium magnificum one of two ways: through division or through stem cuttings. I have not propagated mine yet, but I will provide an overview of the process for those curious.

Propagating through division

To propagate an anthurium magnificum through division, you must have multiple plants in your pot. That means the plant must be relatively mature. I only have one plant in my pot, so this is not an option for me. But I have propagated plenty of other plants through division.

The process is simple. Take the plant out of the pot and gently remove as much soil as you can from the roots. Find where the plants separate; if all of the roots are stemming from one plant, then you can’t separate it.

However, if there is an area you can cut off that will take part of the plant and a decent amount of roots with it, this plant will likely be able to live on its own. Pot it in a pot with fresh well-draining soil, and treat the plant just as you would any other magnificum.

To decrease the chance of transplant shock, you can use a cloning gel or rooting hormone on the roots to give them an extra boost before you repot. I don’t always do this, but I try to if it’s a more finicky plant and I have it on hand.

Propagating through a stem cutting

To propagate an anthurium magnificum through a stem cutting, take a stem cutting that includes at least one node (growth point). Leave it out for a day or so to let the cut end callus over. If you don’t do this, the cutting will be much more likely to rot.

Make sure to cover the node/growth point in cloning gel or rooting hormone. This will help encourage faster and stronger root development. Put the cutting in a sphagnum moss and perlite mix that you keep damp, in a jar with LECA, or in soil that you keep evenly moist.

If you start the cutting in moss or LECA, you can transplant it to soil once the roots are a few inches long. If you start the cutting in soil, you can cut back a bit on watering once you can tug the cutting and get a bit of resistance. Then resume normal anthurium magnificum care.

Are anthurium plants toxic to pets?

Yes. Anthurium magnificum contains calcium oxalate crystals. If ingested by pets or humans, they can cause gastrointestinal issues. Keep it away from nibblers.

Pin my anthurium magnificum care & propagation guide!