Alocasia

Alocasia is a genus of rhizomatous or tuberous, broad-leaved, perennial, flowering plants from the family Araceae. There are about 90 accepted species native to tropical and subtropical Asia and eastern Australia. Around the world, many growers widely cultivate a range of hybrids and cultivars as ornamentals.

Description The large, cordate or sagittate leaves grow to a length of on long petioles. Their araceous flowers grow at the end of a short stalk, but are not conspicuous; often hidden behind the leaf petioles.

The corms of some species can be processed to make them edible, however, the raw plants contain raphid or raphide crystals of calcium oxalate along with other irritants (possibly including proteases) that can numb and swell the tongue and pharynx. This can cause difficulty breathing and sharp pain in the throat. Lower parts of the plant contain the highest concentrations of the poison.

Prolonged boiling before serving or processing may reduce risk of adverse reactions. Additionally, acidic fruit such as tamarind may dissolve the raphides altogether. It's important to note, however, that this genus varies in toxicity, and can still be dangerous to ingest, even after taking precautions.

Species , there are 91 accepted species of Alocasia. The list below includes those accepted species with their common names (where available) and distribution ranges:

Flower Leaf Scientific name Distribution Alocasia acuminata Schott Indonesia Alocasia aequiloba N.E.Br. New Guinea Alocasia alba Schott Sri Lanka Alocasia arifolia Hallier f. Malaysia Alocasia atropurpurea Engl. Philippines Alocasia augustiana L.Linden & Rodigas New Guinea Alocasia azlanii K.M.Wong & P.C.Boyce Brunei Alocasia baginda Kurniawan & P.C.Boyce Kalimantan Alocasia balgooyi A.Hay Sulawesi Alocasia beccarii Engl. Malaysia Alocasia boa A.Hay New Guinea Alocasia boyceana A.Hay Philippines Alocasia brancifolia (Schott) A.Hay New Guinea Alocasia brisbanensis (F.M.Bailey) Domin: Cunjevoi, spoon lily Australia Alocasia cadieri Chantrier SE Asia Alocasia celebica Engl. ex Koord Sulawesi Alocasia chaii P.C.Boyce Sarawak Alocasia clypeolata A.Hay: Green shield Philippines Alocasia cucullata (Lour.) G.Don in R.Sweet: Chinese taro Southeast Asia Alocasia culionensis Engl. Philippines Alocasia cuprea K.Koch Borneo Alocasia decipiens Schott Indonesia Alocasia decumbens Buchet Vietnam Alocasia devansayana (L.Linden & Rodigas) Engl. New GuineaAlocasia epilithica Serebryanyi, K.Z. Hein & NaiveMyanmar Alocasia evrardii Gagnep. ex V.D.Nguyen Cambodia to central Vietnam Alocasia fallax Schott East Himalaya to Bangladesh Alocasia farisii Zulhazman, Norziel. & P.C.Boyce Peninsular Malaysia Alocasia flabellifera A.Hay New Guinea Alocasia flemingiana Yuzammi & A.Hay Java Alocasia fornicata (Roxb.) Schott India, Indonesia Alocasia gageana Engl. & K.Krause in H.G.A.Engler Burma Alocasia grata Prain ex Engl. & Krause in H.G.A.Engler Indonesia Alocasia hainanica N.E.Br. Hainan to N. Vietnam Alocasia hararganjensis H.Ara & M.A.Hassan Bangladesh Alocasia heterophylla (C.Presl) Merr. Philippines Alocasia hollrungii Engl. New Guinea Alocasia hypoleuca P.C.Boyce Thailand Alocasia indica (Lour.) Spach India, SE Asia, Java Alocasia infernalis P.C.Boyce Borneo Alocasia inornata Hallier f. Sumatra Alocasia jiewhoei V.D.Nguyen Cambodia Alocasia kerinciensis A.Hay Sumatra Alocasia lancifolia Engl. New Guinea Alocasia lauterbachiana (Engl.) A.Hay New Guinea Alocasia lecomtei Engl. Vietnam Alocasia lihengiae C.L.Long & Q.Fang Yunnan Alocasia longiloba Miq. Malaysia Alocasia macrorrhizos (L.) G.Don in R.Sweet: Giant taro, elephant ear, ape flower SE Asia, Australia, Pacific Alocasia maquilingensis Merr. Philippines Alocasia megawatiae Yuzammi & A.Hay Sulawesi Alocasia melo A.Hay Borneo Alocasia micholitziana Sander: Green velvet alocasia Philippines Alocasia minuscula A.Hay Borneo Alocasia monticola A.Hay New Guinea Alocasia navicularis (K.Koch & C.D.Bouché) K.Koch & C.D.Bouché Himalaya Alocasia nebula A.Hay Borneo Alocasia nicolsonii A.Hay New Guinea Alocasia nycteris Medecilo, G.C.Yao & Madulid: Batwing alocasia Philippines Alocasia odora (Lindl.) K.Koch: Night-scented lily SE Asia, China Alocasia × okinawensis Tawada Okinawa Alocasia pangeran A.Hay Borneo Alocasia peltata M.Hotta Borneo Alocasia perakensis Hemsl. Malaysia Alocasia portei Schott Luzon Alocasia princeps W.Bull Malaysia Alocasia principiculus A.Hay Borneo Alocasia puber (Hassk.) Schott Java Alocasia puteri A.Hay Borneo Alocasia pyrospatha A.Hay New Guinea Alocasia ramosii A.Hay Philippines Alocasia reginae N.E.Br. Borneo Alocasia reginula A.Hay: Black velvet Sabah Alocasia reversa N.E.Br. Philippines Alocasia ridleyi A.Hay Borneo Alocasia rivularis Luu, Nguyen-Phi & H.T.Van Vietnam Alocasia robusta M.Hotta Borneo Alocasia salarkhanii H.Ara & M.A.Hassan Bangladesh Alocasia sanderiana W.Bull Philippines Alocasia sarawakensis M.Hotta Borneo Alocasia scabriuscula N.E.Br. Borneo Alocasia scalprum A.Hay: Samar lance Philippines Alocasia simonsiana A.Hay New Guinea Alocasia sinuata N.E.Br. Philippines Alocasia suhirmaniana Yuzammi & A.Hay Sulawesi Alocasia venusta A.Hay Borneo Alocasia vietnamensis V.D.Nguyen central Vietnam Alocasia wentii Engl. & K.Krause: New Guinea shield New Guinea Alocasia wongii A.Hay Borneo Alocasia yunqiana Z.X.Ma, Yifan Li & J.T.Yin Yunnan Alocasia zebrina Veitch ex J.Dix Philippines

Nothospecies The following list is incomplete. The following are hybrid species in the genus Alocasia: A. × mortfontanensis André = A. longiloba × A. sanderianaAlocasia ×mortfontanensis, World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (syn. A. × amazonicaAlocasia ×amazonica hort., nom. inval., U.S. National Plant Germplasm System )

Cultivation

Alocasia are tropical plants that are increasingly becoming popular as houseplants.Exotic Rainforest rare tropical plants The hybrid A. × amazonica has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. They are typically grown as pot plants, but a better way is to grow the plants permanently in the controlled conditions of a greenhouse. They can tolerate dim light and cannot withstand direct sunlight. They should be cared for as any other tropical plant, with weekly leaf cleaning, frequent fertilization, and medium to high humidity.

They rarely survive cold winters or the dryness of artificial heating, but an attempt to slowly acclimatize plants from the summer garden to the house can help.Nature Assassin: Overwintering your Alocasia Once inside, the watering period must be reduced, and the plants should be protected from spider mites or red spider mites.

Alocasia

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