Anthurium are part of the Plantae kingdom, which is one of the six kingdoms of life. (The other five are Archaea, Bacteria, Protista, Fungi and Animalia). All organism in the Plantae kingdom are multicellular autotrophs, which means they make their own food through the process of photosynthesis. Organisms in kingdom Plantae have specialized organelles in their cells, including the cell wall (which allows water and other nutrients to flow into and out of the cell) and chloroplast (which captures sunlight in order to power the process of photosynthesis).
Anthuriums are angiosperms, which means they make seeds. Specifically, their seeds are produced in flowers, which contain both stamens (which contain the male gametophyte, a sex cell) and pistils (which contain the female gametophyte). Identifying characteristics found in angiosperms besides flowers include leaves, roots, stems and an interconnected tissue called the vascular system, which helps transmit water and nutrients throughout the entire organism.
Angiosperms are further divided into two types: monocots and dicots. A monocot differs from a dicot primarily in the organization of its parts. For example, a monocot has parallel veins in its leaves, flowers in three parts, and several roots, and its vascular tissue is bundled in its stem. Monocots are believed to date back to the Cretaceous period (about 65 million years ago).
Anthuriums belong to a specific group of monocots called araceae. Araceae are noted for their spadix, which is a stem on which the flowers are clustered together. Leaves on araceae often have a slit or hole through which the spadix protrudes. Anthuriums have an exceptionally long spadix; they are sometimes called "flamingo flowers" because of their color and their long, slender spadix.