Description
Shaped like the spade in a deck of cards, the anthurium is a deceptive plant, for the waxy red ‘flower’ that flares out from its stalk isn’t the flower at all, but a modified leaf. The real flowers grow as tiny spikes on the spadix, the long protrusion at the centre. The soft, muted tones in this watercolour piece are a deliberate attempt at drawing emphasis away from the bright red leaf, instead to focus on the plant itself. Because not everything about the anthurium is as it seems, and every part has its own special role to play.
