alocasia

Alocasia
Alocasia macrorrhizos
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Monocots Order: Alismatales Family: Araceae Subfamily: Aroideae Tribe: Colocasieae Genus: Alocasia (Schott) G.Don
Species
See text.

Alocasia is a genus of broad-leaved rhizomatous or bulbous perennials from the Family Araceae. There are about 70 species of Alocasia occurring in Asia, 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 crystals of oxalic acid that can numb and swell the tongue and pharynx. The corms require prolonged boiling before serving or processing as a food. You may experience severe headaches, diffilculty breathing and you also may start to halucinate. Although not serious you may feel some advent of pain.

Some hybrids, such as the Amazon Lily of the African Mask (Alocasia x amazonica), are grown as ornamentals.

Species

• Alocasia acuminata: (Indonesia)
• Alocasia aequiloba: (New Guinea)
• Alocasia alba: (Sri Lanka)
• Alocasia amazonica: (South East Asia)
• Alocasia argyrea:
• Alocasia arifolia: (Malaysia)
• Alocasia atropurpurea: (Philippines)
• Alocasia augustiana:
• Alocasia × bachi (unplaced name)
• 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)

Giant Alocasia in Botanic garden Mont Fleuri in Victoria on Mahé Island.

• Alocasia × chantrieri: (unplaced name)
• Alocasia × chantrieriana: (unplaced name)
• 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  : (Indonesia)
• Alocasia gageana : (Myanmar)

Giant taro or Ape plant

• Alocasia × gaulainii : (unplaced name)
• 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 macrorrhizos var. brisbanensis : (Australia)
• 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: (Malaysia)
• Alocasia sarawakensis : (Borneo)
• Alocasia scabriuscula : (Borneo)
• Alocasia scalprum : (Philippines)
• Alocasia × sedeni : (unplaced name)
• Alocasia simonsiana : (New Guinea)
• Alocasia sinuata : (Malaysia)
• Alocasia suhirmaniana : (Sulawesi)
• Alocasia x van-houtteana : (unplaced name)
• Alocasia venusta: (Borneo)
• Alocasia wentii: New Guinea Shield (New Guinea)
• Alocasia wongii : (Borneo)
• Alocasia zebrina: (Philippines)

All hybrids have been obtained artificially.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Alocasia macrorrhiza

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Alocasia sanderiana