Alocasia Shopping
 

My friend came by today and asked me to go plant shopping so we went to a big area which is the main plant sales area just outside the city. To my surprise, I found all the alocasia down almost 1/2 price! I bought a total of 8 plts of 6 different species from $1.90 - $ 2.70 each. Great deals. Among them were, Alocasia nobilis, Alocasia meloni, Alocasia deversa, Alocasia nebula and the other 2 no ID. All except the A nobilis are Bornean sp with thick leathery leaves.

Also got a couple more of stuff like a big 4ft flowering hybrid hibiscus(double petal big flower) for only $6.30. In total spent less then $40.

Re: Alocasia Shopping
 

Great looking plants. Do they get large?

Re: Alocasia Shopping
 

These are the medium sized ornamental type with leaf length up to approx16-18 in. Very thick and extremely leathery. It is only from Borneo you get this type of alocasia. From other places, the leaves are normal like any alocasia or colocasia.

This plant here has no proper ID. It has lovely contrasting venation of dark green and silver on the top and a bright maroon leaf under surface.

Re: Alocasia Shopping
 

That's gorgeous. No idea on ID, though - I try not to grow foreign species, so I'm a complete noob to Alocasias other than A. amazonica, which has naturalized here.

Any chance of a closeup of the round-leafed one? That's really unique.

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Know something Lorax, the Alocasia X Amazonica is actually a hybrid of sorts with the Alocasia sanderiana aka Kris Plant which is found here. The whole alocasia thing is getting more and more confused with all the people selling them under different names.

Most the wild collected plants did badly cos they were not able to adapt due to their requirement of very high humidity. I was given many as they were discovered and they all died. The saddest one was a pure black glossy specimen with undulating leaf margin and a hairy leaf stalk. My friend only found one deep in Kalimantan after 2 weeks of plant hunting. I have never seen this plant since.

This plant has no ID. Nice round leaf though hardly any contrast on top. It feels like plastic!


Alocasia meloni. This plant was discovered about 6 years ago. It is known by another name overseas. Another plastic like plant. Nice white veins on a blue grey back ground.

Re: Alocasia Shopping
 

Oh, sure! Go ahead and rub our faces in it, Tog! Nice plants!

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Yah, yah, Brent. Just wait until I start posting the Anthuriums....

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I can't wait! Please do! I love them and they are hell to grow here especially the Anthurium regale and the Anthurium veitchii! Water, water, feed, feed, water, feed...:ha:

Why don't we do a Thread on this? Would be real fun.

Re: Alocasia Shopping
 

Tog,

This really is no fair, when can u start selling these to us?:0519:

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Took the words out of my mouth Brent....don't you just hate him at times:ha:

Only joking mate. Some super looking plants you manage to find.

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Yesterday I was at my local Menards (big box hardware) & saw 'Alocasia...' - $6.95. The bulbs (or whatever) are as big as a cantalope! Forgot what kind of alocasia they were but a pic showed them plain green. We just have to dig them up in fall & store them.
Can't wait till I get mine from Richard.

Re: Alocasia Shopping
 

I looked at those from Menards too. I actually got a couple that were a little larger at the local Andersons. I thinks its just your common taro (Colocasia). I grew them last year and have probably a dozen or more of various sizes started. Not as exotic as Tog's but I love em. They say you can buy them cheaper at ethnic markets where they sell the root as a food source. But the ones I went to here look at me like I'm crazy when I've inquired. Just dig em in the fall and put em up in the basement. I did plant some too early last year and they rotted. So wait till is warm.

Michael

Re: Alocasia Shopping
 

Go to the Chinese side of the ethnic market and get the C esculenta from China/Taiwan. Tell them you want those which they eat during the Mooncake Festival. These are nice small bulbs about 2-2.5in in size. They have a nice set of medium size green leaves. The plus is that they are cool tolerant/growing, produce many new bulbs which are very tasty. All you need to do is to boil them with their skin. You can then remove the skin and dip it in fine sugar or your fav syrup. Real yummy stuff! Slurrp!

The plant just came out of its dormancy a couple of weeks ago and there are only few leaves. You can see the bulbs at the bottom of the plant.


They are a seasonal festivity import for us as they can't really be grown here due to the heat. I have kept these for a long time. My current pot is like 5yrs old. I keep them as a reminder of their good taste and I haven't eaten a single bulb from the pot.

I always tell my friends that these plants are very proud of me cos when the Mooncake Festival comes, all their relatives gets eaten and they are the only ones who can proudly wave their leaves in the breeze! :ha::ha::ha:

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Moon cake festival aye? You can bet if I find some at one of my markets , those plants wont be proud of me at all!:ha::ha::ha:

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Don't eat the EE's Bob. You bad boy!

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Go try them. Real nice!

Hey Michael, keep 1 group to lower your sinning points, eat the others. Really great stuff. I eat them every year when my sis buys them from the market. I won't miss it for sure. :ha:

Caloosamusa aka Ken says they are available from his place as 'Malanga'. If you can't get them, ask him to ship some to you guys.

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I bought some Taro in the commissary, at a local military base. I got ten in a pound, for 69¢. I planted them and, in a few days they all had sprouted. I called them, "My seven cent elephant ears".

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I thought that was why people were buying the EE Black Ruffles TC's !!!

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Its Black Ruffles people - Not Black Truffles !!!

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I have a Asian market nearby. I think I'll take a look there...for black truffles too. YUM!