- Alocasia
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Alocasia 
Alocasia macrorrhizos Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Monocots Order: Alismatales Family: Araceae Subfamily: Aroideae Tribe: Colocasieae Genus: Alocasia
(Schott) G.DonSpecies See text.
Alocasia is a genus of broad-leaved rhizomatous or tuberous perennials from the Family Araceae. There are 78 species [1] of Alocasia occurring in Tropical & Subtropical Asia to Eastern Australia and widely cultivated in Oceania and South America. The large cordate or sagittate leaves grow to a length of 20 to 90 cm on long petioles. Their beautiful araceous flowers grow at the end of a short stalk, but are not conspicuous; often hidden behind the leaf petioles.
The stem (a corm) is edible, but contains raphid or raphide crystals of oxalic acid that can numb and swell the tongue and pharynx resulting in difficult breathing, and sharp throat pain. The lower parts contain more of the poison. Prolonged boiling before serving or processing may reduce the risks but acidic fruit such as tamarind will dissolve them.
As Houseplants
Hybrids, such as the Amazon Lily or the African Mask (Alocasia x amazonica) are grown as popular ornamentals. Alocasia are distinctly exotic and tropical plants that are increasingly becoming popular in American and European homes as houseplants. 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 do not do well in the dark and need good lighting if inside the house. They should be cared for as any other tropical plant with weekly cleaning of the leaves and frequent fine water misting without leaving the plants wet.
Unfortunately, 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.[2] Once inside the watering period must be reduced and the plants should be protected from spider mites or red spider attack. Alternatively, let younger plants die back to the corm from when the temperature reaches 19 degrees[clarification needed] and with some luck this could lead to a rebirth in spring.
Species
- Alocasia acuminata: (Indonesia)
- Alocasia aequiloba: (New Guinea)
- Alocasia alba: (Sri Lanka)
- Alocasia 'Amazonica'
- Alocasia argyrea:
- Alocasia arifolia: (Malaysia)
- Alocasia atropurpurea: (Philippines)
- Alocasia augustiana:
- Alocasia × bachi
- Alocasia balgooyi: (Sulawesi)
- Alocasia beccarii: (Malaysia)
- Alocasia boa: (New Guinea)
- Alocasia boyceana: (Philippines)
- Alocasia brancifolia : (New Guinea)
- Alocasia brisbanensis: Cunjevoi, Spoon Lily (Australia)
- Alocasia cadieri: (SE Asia)
- Alocasia celebica: (Sulawesi)
- Alocasia × chantrieri
- Alocasia × chantrieriana
- Alocasia clypeolata: Green Shield (Philippines)
- Alocasia × conspicua (= A. longiloba × A.odora ) (unplaced name)
- Alocasia coriacea: (unplaced name)
- Alocasia cucullata: Chinese Taro (Indonesia)
- Alocasia culionensis: (Philippines)
- Alocasia cuprea: (Borneo)
- Alocasia decipiens : (Indonesia)
- Alocasia decumbens : (Vietnam)
- Alocasia denudata: (Singapore)
- Alocasia devansayana : (New Guinea)
- Alocasia evrardii : (SE Asia) (unplaced name)
- Alocasia fallax : (East Himalaya to Bangladesh)
- Alocasia flabellifera : (New Guinea)
- Alocasia flemingiana : (Java)
- Alocasia fornicata : (India, Indonesia)
- Alocasia gageana : (Burma)
Giant Taro or Ape Flower (Alocasia macrorrhizos).
A wild specimen of the Kris Plant (Alocasia sanderiana).- Alocasia × gaulainii :
- Alocasia grandis : (Indonesia) (unplaced name)
- Alocasia grata : (Indonesia)
- Alocasia hainanensis : (Hainan, China)
- Alocasia hainaica : (Hainan to N. Vietnam)
- Alocasia heterophylla : (Philippines)
- Alocasia hollrungii : (New Guinea)
- Alocasia infernalis : (Borneo)
- Alocasia inornata: (Sumatra)
- Alocasia kerinciensis : (Sumatra)
- Alocasia lancifolia : (New Guinea)
- Alocasia lauterbachiana : (New Guinea)
- Alocasia longiloba: (Malaysia)
- Alocasia macrorrhizos : Giant Taro, Elephant Ear, Ape Flower (SE Asia, Australia, Pacific)
- Alocasia maquilingensis : (Philippines)
- Alocasia melo : (Borneo)
- Alocasia micholitziana: Elephant’s Ear Plant (Philippines)
- Alocasia minuscula : (Borneo)
- Alocasia monticola : (New Guinea)
- Alocasia × mortfontanensis : (unplaced name)
- Alocasia navicularis : (Himalaya)
- Alocasia nebula : (Borneo)
- Alocasia nicolsonii : (New Guinea)
- Alocasia odora: Night-scented Lily (SE Asia, China)
- Alocasia pangeran : (Borneo)
- Alocasia peltata : (Borneo)
- Alocasia perakensis : (Malaysia)
- Alocasia portei : (New Guinea)
- Alocasia princeps : (Malaysia)
- Alocasia principiculus : (Borneo)
- Alocasia puber : (Java)
- Alocasia puteri : (Borneo)
- Alocasia putii : (Thailand) (unplaced name)
- Alocasia pyrospatha : (New Guinea)
- Alocasia ramosii : (Philippines)
- Alocasia rapiformis : (Myanmar) (unplaced name)
- Alocasia regina : (Borneo)
- Alocasia reginula: Black Velvet (cultivated)
- Alocasia reversa : (Philippines)
- Alocasia ridleyi : (Borneo)
- Alocasia robusta : (Borneo)
- Alocasia × rodigasiana : (unplaced name)
- Alocasia sanderiana: (Philippines)
- Alocasia sarawakensis : (Borneo)
- Alocasia scabriuscula : (Borneo)
- Alocasia scalprum : (Philippines)
- Alocasia × sedeni : (unplaced name)
- Alocasia simonsiana : (New Guinea)
- Alocasia sinuata : (Philippines)
- Alocasia suhirmaniana : (Sulawesi)
- Alocasia tigrina: (Philippines)
- Alocasia x van-houtteana
- Alocasia venusta: (Borneo)
- Alocasia wentii: New Guinea Shield (New Guinea)
- Alocasia wenzellii: (Philippines)
- Alocasia wongii : (Borneo)
- Alocasia zebrina: (Philippines)
All hybrids have been obtained artificially.
References
- ^ "WCSP". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/. Retrieved 2010.
- ^ http://natureassassin.blogspot.com/2009/09/overwintering-your-alocasia.html
Categories:- Araceae genera
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