ABSTRACT:

Anthurium andraeanum Linden ex Andre was introduced into Hawaii from London by S. M. Damon in 1889. The spathe color of the first introduction was shellpink. Plants were cultivated in the Damon Estate in Moanalua, Oahu, and by the 1930's had been distributed to other estates, nurseries and hobbyists. Dissemination up to that time was relatively slow due to the inherently slow rate of vegetative propagation of anthuriums. In the late 1930's and 1940's growers had learned to propagate anthuriums from seeds. This resulted in the widespread cultivation of this species and its variants in Hawaii. The novel, exotic, attractive and long-lasting anthurium inflorescences began to appear with regularity in local flower shops.