Alocasia

Alocasia species (see below)

al-oh-CAZE-ee-ah

Araceae

Explanation of name: Alocasia is derived from Colocasia (HUX, WA1).

            A complex genus as encountered in cultivation, made up of numerous cultivated species, hybrids, and cultivars, with a sampling listed below. For photos of a large array of cultivars, see the AgriStarts website. AgriStarts is a large supplier of Aroids and other tissue-cultured selections in Apopka, Florida. http://www.agristarts.com/alocasia_main.htm.

            The “Elephant-Ears” or “Taro” (see also Colocasia and Xanthosoma) are Alocasia macrorrhizos (L.) G.Don. (Macrorrhizos means large-rooted.)

Note: The spelling of this species name varies among authors, with “macrorrhiza” most common.  The spelling used here conforms to WU3.

            Much used in landscaping, Chinese-Taro is Alocasia cucullata.

(Cucullata means hooded.)

Alocasia Xamazonica is a show plant popular in containers, having dark green, sinuate-margined leaves with bright white veins. ‘Black Velvet’ is similar but has a flat-toned velvety coloration. The numerous additional white-veined species, hybrids, and cultivars are difficult to distinguish.

List of cultivated Alocasias:

Alocasia Xamazonica (A. lowii X A. sanderiana)  (dark  green leaves with conspicuous white major veins)

Alocasia ‘Aurora’ (pink petioles)

Alocasia cadieri Chantrier & Guillaumin

Alocasia Xchantrieri Ed.Andre

Alocasia cucullata (Loureiro ) G. Don (Chinese-Taro)

Alocasia cuprea K.Koch (blades bullate, shiny, with reddish tones)

Alocasia ‘Hilo Beauty’ (blades splotched with off-white)

Alocasia ‘Imperialis’ (veins green, the tissue between them off-white)

Alocasia macrorrhizos Schott (‘Lutea’-yellowish and with light-colored veins; ‘Variegata’- variegated; ‘New Guinea Gold’, ‘Violacea’ )

Alocasia nobilis Hallier f. (blades deeply sinuate, with the veins white)

Alocasia odora K. Koch

Alocasia plumbea Van Houtte (dark, lead-coloration in leaves)

Alocasia ‘Portora’

Alocasia sanderiana Hort. ex Bull.

Alocasia ‘Sarian’ (large, tall, lanky, the blades dark green and glossy, with off-white veins)

Alocasia sinuata N. E. Br.

Alocasia ‘Superba’ (Narrowly arrow-head-shaped leaf blades, the petioles blotched)

Alocasia ‘Tigrina’ (narrow-leaved with tiger stripes on long petioles)

Alocasia veitchii Schott (blades with rounded convex margins and long-acuminate tips, the large and small veins off-white)

Alocasia wentii Engl. & K. Krause

Recognition: Alocasia differs from Colocasia by having the leaf stalk (petiole) join the leaf blade near the basal notch. That is, there is a narrow wing of tissue separating the petiole from the notch. In Colocasia, the petiole is attached closer to the center of the blade. See Colocasia for a key to the large-leaved aroids.

Landscape uses: With tremendous variation in size, and with exceptions to these generalizations, alocasias usually prefer partial sun, rich, acid soil, and ample moisture, and are flood-tolerant. They tend to fare poorly in strong winds, cold, and dry conditions.  Many are popular as container plants. The one probably most used in landscaping in South Florida is Chinese Taro (A. cucullata) , a comparatively tough species used as a ground cover, border, clump, and container plant. This species tolerates sun and shade, and apparently is fine in alkaline conditions. General information on Alocasia HUX, (UFFPS33). All Aroids contain toxic raphide crystals in their tissues.