Alocasia
(from a, without, and Colocasia). Allied to Colocasia. ORD. Aroideoe (Araceoe). Stove plants of great beauty, often with large and handsomely variegated, usually peltate, leaves, and shortly petiolate, glaucous spathes. They are not difficult to grow, with a strong moist heat, and an abundant supply of water to the roots. The soil should consist of fibrous peat, with a little light fibry loam, in large lumps; to this add a good proportion of sphagnum and lumps of charcoal, with plenty of silver sand. Keep the bulbs and soil raised well above the rim of the pots, and finish off with a surfacing of either sphagnum or cocoanut fibre. the latter will soon encourage new rootlets. Crock the pot quite two-thirds up with clean, broken potsherds. Water freely when in good growth, and give liquid manure once or twice a week through the growing season. Shade during bright sunshine in the spring and summer months. Increased by seeds and division of the stems or rhizome. Winter temperature, 60 deg. to 65deg.; summer, 75deg. to 85deg. See also Caladium and Colocasia.
A. alba (white). fl. white. h. 1 1/2ft. Java, 1854.
A. amabilis (lovely). Synonymous with A. longiloba.
A. chelsonii (Chelsea).* An interesting hybrid between A. cuprea and A. longiloba. l. large, upper surface deep green, glossy and metallic, under side purplish, as in A. cuprea.
A. cucullata (hood-leaved). fl. green, whitish. Spring. h. 2ft. India, 1826. A. cuprea (coppery).* fl., spathe purplish-red, with short lamina. l. cordate-ovate, peltate, deflexed, 12in. to 18in. long, rich bronze colour, purple beneath. h. 2ft. Borneo, 1860. SYNS. A. metallica, Xanthosoma plumbea. A. gigantea (gigantic). Synonymous with A. longiloba. A. guttata (spotted). fl., spathe white, spotted with purple. l. leafstalk also spotted. h. 2 1/2ft. Borneo, 1879.
A. hybrida (hybrid).* A cross between A. Lowii and A. cuprea. l. elliptic in outline, with a very short acuminate point, and very slightly parted at the base, deep olive-tinted green on the upper surface, having stout, well-defined ribs, and the margin of an ivory white; dull purple at the back. A. illustris (bright). l. ovate-sagittate, rich green, with olive-black patches, deflexed, 1 1/2ft. long. India, 1873.
A. Jenningsii (Jennings's).* l. peltate, cordate-ovate, acuminate, with their blades deflexed from the top of the erect mottled stalks, ground colour green, surface marked with large wedgeshaped blotches of dark brown; veins bright green, 6in. to 8in. long. India, 1867. A very distinct and free growing species.
A. Johnstoni (Johnston's).* l. semi-erect, arrow-shaped, peltate, the front lobe being about 12in. long, and the two back lobes 14in. long and divergent, olive-green, prettily variegated and strikingly veined with bright rosy red. The leafstalks are furnished at intervals with irregular whorls of stiff spines, the points of which are turned upwards. Stem darkly mottled with flesh-coloured bands just above the spines. Solomon Isles, 1875. This plant has quite a unique appearance.
A. Liervalii (Lierval's). l. bright green. Philippines, 1869. A. longiloba (long-lobed). l. large, sagittate, with the upper part spreading out, green, with silvery veins. h. 4ft. Java, 1864. SYNS. A. amabilis, A. gigantea.
A. Lowii (Low's). fl., spathe white. l. cordate-sagittate, 14in. to 16in. long, peltate, deflexed, olive-green, with thick white ribs, deep purple beneath. Borneo, 1862.
A. macrorhiza (long-rooted). fl. green, whitish. h. 5ft. Polynesia. A. m. variegata (variegated). l. large, somewhat cordate, with slightly waved margins, bright green, blotched and marbled with white, sometimes nearly quite white; footstalks broadly streaked with pure white. Ceylon. A very striking and effective large growing plant.
A. Marshallii (Marshall's). l. green, with dark blotches, and broad central silvery band. India, 1811. A. metallica (metallic). Synonymous with A. cuprea. A. navicularis (boat-shaped spathe). fl., spathe boat-shaped, whitish. h. 1ft. India, 1855.
A. Roezlii. See Caladium marmoratum.
A. scabriuscula (roughish).* fl., spathe entirely white; limb 3in. long, oblong, cuspidate. l. spreading, not deflexed, sagittate, not in the least peltate, deep shining green above, pale green beneath, extreme length 22in. to 31in. h. 4ft. to 4 1/2ft. North-West Borneo, 1878. Although this is not such an ornamental species as A. Lowii, A. Thibautiana, or A. cuprea, it has the merit of being a much larger and bolder plant than either of these, and is one of the largest species in the genus.
A. Sedeni (Seden's).* A hybrid between A. Lowii and A. cuprea. l. oval, cordate, sagittate deflexed, bronzy green, purple beneath, veins distinct ivory white.
A. Thibautiana (Thibaut's).* l. ovate-acute, deeply cordate; basal lobes rounded and not sharply pointed, deep olive greyish-green, traversed by numerous grey veinlets branching from the midrib, which is greyish-white, purple beneath. Borneo, 1878. This is said to be by far the finest of the genus.
A. variegata (variegated). fl. whitish. l., leafstalk mottled with violet. India, 1854.
A. zebrina (zebra).* l. erect, broadly sagittate, rich dark green borne upon stout footstalks, which are pale green, mottled and striped with zigzag bands of dark green. h. 4ft. or more. Philippine Isles, 1862.