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.[1] Around the world, many growers widely cultivate a range of hybrids and cultivars as ornamentals.
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)[2] 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.
The following are the accepted species of Alocasia along with their common names (where available) and distribution ranges:[1]
| 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 Guinea | ||
| 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 | New Guinea | ||
| 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 | ||
The following list is incomplete.The following are hybrid species in the genus Alocasia:
Alocasia are tropical plants that are increasingly becoming popular as houseplants.[5] The hybrid A. × amazonica has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[6] 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 cleaning of the leaves, frequent fertilization and medium to high humidity.[7]
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.[8] Once inside, the watering period must be reduced and the plants should be protected from spider mites or red spider attack.