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.

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Great looking plants. Do they get large?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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!

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I went shopping again today and bought an Alocasia X Velvet Hybrid. This was once available 3 years ago and the Thai vendors came down to M'sia and bought all which was available then. I have not seen this plant in the market till today and only 1 vendor has it.

No photography can do this plant any justice. You just have to see it in 'person' to fully appreciate the lush velvety surface of the leaf. A real stunner!

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OK Tog, I'm on my way!!! AND, I'm staying till it warms up here. I'm freezing & it will snow again this weekend :(
Those are beautiful plants!!
Can someone tell me what the diff is between colocasia & alocasia? I ordered both from agristarts thru Richard.

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About elephant Ears

This might help

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Alocasia vs. Colocasia: Alocasia differs technically from Colocasia in ovary characteristics, but in most cases has a shiny leaf and initially points upward, while Colocasia most often has a matte finish leaf and points downward. Another difference is that Alocasia leaves can be divided or undivided whereas Colocasia leaves are always undivided. Also, supposedly Colocasia have leaves that have the stems attached towards the middle of the leaf and "nod" in the breezes, while Alocasias have stems that are attached to the top of the leaf.



ARACEAE

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1st thing; Diff between an Alocasia and a Colocasia?
Physically, if you get a chance to touch/feel them, the Alocasia's leaves are much tougher. No matter how big the Colocasia leaves get, they can't match up to the Alocasia. The rest is as said below.
Funny thing though, it is never referred to as Elephant Ears/EE here. They are called keladi (Malay) or yam.


2nd thing; I didn't go shopping today but on the way back from the nursery, I stopped by to pick up a Colocasia for a friend who wanted one. I came across a bunch of medium sized ones near a creek. Well, I had no entrenching tool with me, so I had to make do with my hands and legs. The hands pulled gently while my right leg pressed the tuber till it got free from the soil. It fitted in nicely into the back of our small pick up without much damage. No one ever gives these big plants a second glance here.

When I got to my friend's place, I called him out and I wanted him to carry the plant in by himself so that he can feel the weight and would know what trouble I went through to get the plant. He was so happy he forgot to thank me. He grinned all the way in...:ha:

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That's just a little one, Tog! But I know what you're saying about the weight. I had cause to dig up a 10' Xanthosoma once, and golly was it ever heavy. Had a big tasty tuber on the end of it though, so I guess it was worth it.

Diff between Colocasia and Alocasia - there are a couple, but the most defining difference between the two is like Tog said - leaf texture. Alocasia are much much tougher, more like plastic, and Colocasia, while they are leathery, still feel like an organic substance. The second is the way that the leaf joins to the petiole (stem) - in Alocasia it's more towards the center of the leaf (especially if the leaf is entire, rather than trilobate), and in Colocasia it's always at the superior sinus (the point where the main ribs of the three lobes connect). Additionally, Colocasia have a slight geniculum (a bump where the petiole attaches to the leaf) which allows the leaves to swivel more easily. Tuber size and shape also differs slightly. Further, there's a difference in petiole length as a ratio to leaf length, the persistence (or lack thereof) of the cataphylls, and the bloom shape and style (ovary shape and seed shape are prime examples). Also, in my experience at least, mature Alocasia are smaller than mature Colocasia for most species.

If you want to get really confused, though, try telling the difference visually between large Colocasia and Xanthosoma. Apart from two leaf characteristics, they're all but identical. I have learned through trial and error, and I'm lucky that 30 species of Xanthosoma are native and we only have Colocasia esculenta.

This is X. saggitifolium, and it's a small tree with 6' leaf blades.

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Thanks gang, I will refer back to this.
Now I wonder how big mine will get by end of summer if they are only 2" tc's. I'll have to get some caladiums to plant w/ them...it'll be sooooo tropical!

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Tog, the plant in the last picture with you looks like a Xanthosoma Atroverins.

It truly is a monster. Wish they would grow that big here.

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Double post ...sorry

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Mark, how would a Xanthosoma atroverins get to the wilds in Tog's neck of the woods? They belong to my jungles, not his... I've been talking with him about it, and he says that X. saggitifolia has only just started to come on market there, so I'd be dubious about one of the more obscure of my native species just "popping up" in M'sia.

I was thinking that it was Colocasia gigantaea, myself.

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Sorry...my mistake. I will shut up now.

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Yep, the only Xanths found here are the small ornamental ones. So far there are none of the big ones introduced here.

The plant is one of the many varieties of the Colocasia odora found here. In my haste of posting, I did not mention the name.

I wouldn't call this big at all as Lorax said. It is a medium one and they can go much bigger depending where they are found.

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I think my superior sinus is trilobate and it's making my geniculum hurt. :ha:

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Sounds like you should head to the emergency room, Scot!

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Randy has some monster Atroverins, mine challenge me more than any other EE's. I just can't get them to take off.

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There are meds for that, you know. It's not a serious condition. :ha:

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What no cigar in this Pic?

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Went out again today and got some plants and here are a couple of pix to share;

Alocasia lowii Variety - This is one of the many varieties of this species. Leaf can get quite big and thick and has a beautiful slivery grey upper surface. The newly acquired plant is not well hydrated in this pix.


Alocasia Hybrids
The plant on the left is a medium sized type plant when full grown. This one has a sharper leaf apex. The one on the right is a compact mini with rounded leaf apex. Both are a very shiny dark green with striking white venation.


Caladium Scarlet Thai Hybrid - This looks like the catch of the day. This is the most striking colored Thai hybrid I have seen to date. The Thai Caladium hybrids are smaller in size than the American ones but they are very flashy in their coloration.


Other than these I got also got an Alocasia brancifolia, a Licuala orbicularis at a bargain price and like another 10 other nice plants. Great day! :ha:

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Hey Tog,

Have you ever seen a Licuala orbicularis this big?

Licuala orbicularis

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I saw them in Sarawak bigger than that. If you can pay the price, buy a big one. They take forever to grow.

The other plant which is even more interesting is the Licuala cordata, also from Sarawak. It can take full sun gradually and the leaves grow flat like a table. And the one which tops many palm connoisseurs' wish list is the Licaula mapu.
I have all three of these in my collection. My nursery have more than 100 species of palms, mostly the rare ones.

Licuala cordata


Licuala mapu

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Hey Tog, do you grow cyrtostachys lakka (sp?). I tried years ago to germinate one because the guy at banana-tree( mail order place near me) told me I couldn't do it. He was right! Though I did manage to sprout a few European and Mexican fan palms. I was also told even people in Florida have a hard time with them.

Re: Alocasia Shopping
 

C lakka, the Red Palm, has sds which have very short viability. Don't waste your time trying to germ them. Just go to a clump and cut up a pup. They are everywhere here and is extremely popular among the Chinese as they consider it a 'lucky' plant. Seriously every Chinese house will have a clump either inside or outside their compound (like the Malays with 'naners). Where I live which is a predominantly Chinese area, they are like a weed. As I said earlier about the short term viability of the sds, you will not find them germinating naturally. However, the Macarthur's Hurricane palm, Ptychosperma macarthurii which is from the Philippines, is a super weed as it germinates readily in places you can't even imagine.

Though the C lakka is pretty with the red crownshaft, I don't like it cos it grows darn tall and pups like crazy if the condition is right so it looks kinda messy. In the jungle, they are found plentiful in the wet boggy areas.
A couple of years ago someone found a clump with very nice white and green variegated leaves. Guess what? The Thais came down and bought every plant at us$1,000 each.

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Stunning looking plants Tog. And in Pristene condition too ( they must love all that rain:ha:)

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I had one, and a Big leaf as well as a Diamond Joey palm. All croaked in the nice dry climate here.

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Wow. one mans' weed is anothers' .............you get the idea.

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Need????

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Ok, self wrecking this thread :ha: Fyi Bob, this is the current situation here.

Besides the stuff in the forest where they are abundant weeds, there are so many palms planted here in the cities for landscaping that they have become weeds. Here's a list of them;

The Super Urban Palm Weeds
Adonida merillii - Christmas Palm
Dypsis lutescens - Yellow Palm
Ptychosperma macarthurii - Phil Hurricane Palm

Urban Palm Weeds
Archontophoenix alexandrae - Alexandra Palm
Bismarkia nobilis - Silver Bismarck Palm
Caryota obtusa - Giant Fishtail Palm
Caryota mitis - Clustering Fishtail Palm
Cyrtostachys renda - Red Palm
Dypsis decrayi - Triangular Palm
Licuala rumphii - Marsh Fan Palm
Licuala grandis - Fan Palm
Livistonia chinensis - Chinese Fan Palm
Livistonia rotundifolia - Footstool Palm
Rhapis exelsa - Monkey Palm
Roystonea regia - Royal Palm
Wodeytia bifurcata - Aussie Foxtail Palm

Funny thing, nobody takes the sds for germination. If some sucker wants a palm, they will go and buy one from the nursery.
A medium sized Wodyetia bifurcata with 3 ft trunk cost less than $7.

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Tog- re caladiums. I picked this beauty up last season, leaves are not large, but stunning looking.

Caladium Thai Beauty

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Is that genus Chakka? If they catch on will there be a boom? :0517::ha::ha::ha:

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Nice plant Howard. We have this clone here and the weird thing is that, the hotter it gets, the bigger and better it grows. They are pathetic in my place but I have seen them up north and in Thailand and they are simply fantastic.