Where to buy Alocasia plant?
Where to Buy: All of these Alocasias can be bought from Etsy and delivered directly to your door. (This is where I buy most of my houseplants). The most popular of the Alocasias, the Polly is a compact hybrid, known for its large, dark-green leaves that are shaped like an arrow or a shield.
Is Colocasia plant a poisonous plant?
What are the Causes of Colocasia Plant Poisoning?
- Colocasia Plant Poisoning is caused by eating colocasia plant or plant products
- This intake could be accidental, or in some cases intentional, to bring self-harm
- The poisonous part of the plant is calcium oxalate crystals and the protein asparagine that is found in all plant parts (especially the leaves and stem). ...
What plants go well with elephant ear plants?
What Plants Go Well With Elephant Ear Plants?
- Ferns. The dainty foliage of ferns visually contrast the large, bold-sized leaves of elephant ears well. ...
- Coleus. Coleus (Solenostemon spp.) are fast-growing herbaceous foliage plants with leaves that can range in color from yellow or green to purple, rust brown or burgundy-red.
- Begonias. ...
- Other Elephant Ears. ...
How to grow Alocasia?
How To Propagate Alocasia: Care Guide
- Light: Alocasia enjoys bright, filtered or indirect sunlight for most of the day. ...
- Water: Water Alocasia plentifully with tepid water, especially when actively growing in spring and summer.
- Annual top dressing is recommended; adding a layer of potting soil or compost to the top of the potting mix once every 12 months will help your plant’s health.
Are Alocasia and elephant ears the same plant?
Hard to miss in the garden, Alocasia (Elephant Ears) are robust evergreen rhizomatous or tuberous perennials with dramatic, large, arrow-shaped leaves. Standing upright (unlike those of Colocasia), they are so breathtaking, it is as if one plant could bring all the green in the world.
What are elephant ears also called?
Written by susan.mahr. Elephant ears is the common name for a group of tropical perennial plants grown for their large, heart-shaped leaves.
Is Alocasia an elephant?
Large rhizomes or tubers produce enormous heart-shaped or arrow-shaped ears, leading to the popular common name, elephant's ear....How to Grow and Care for Elephant's Ear (Alocasia)Common NameAlocasia, elephant earFamilyAraceae, or AroidPlant TypeHerbaceous perennialMature Size2–9 ft. tall, 2-9 ft. spread (depends on species and variety)9 more rows•May 13, 2022
What is the difference between Alocasia and Colocasia plants?
Colocasia tubers are large and swollen and encircled by striped bands. The tubers of Colocasia are also known as “taro” and are used for food in Hawaii. Alocasia tubers are smaller, thin and plain without the prominent stripes or eyes.
What are the two types of elephant ears?
There are two types of elephant ears: alocasias and colocasias. Colocasias display their leaves with tip of the heart pointing down. They prefer full sun and consistent moisture. Alocasias hold the tip of their leaves out or upward and they prefer more well drained soil and a little shade.
Are elephant ears toxic to touch?
Elephant Ear Plant Safety The leaves and stems are the most toxic parts of the plants. Even touching them can cause skin irritation and itching, and if you get the sap in your eyes, your eyes will sting and burn for several hours.
What is another name for Alocasia?
You may have heard of them referred to as elephant ears, a common name given to several species of similar-looking plants with large, heart-shaped leaves belonging to the genera Alocasia, Colocasia, and Xanthosoma. Alocasias are the plants you'll typically find growing indoors.
How poisonous is Alocasia?
How toxic is an alocasia plant? Alocasias contain a protein called asparagine and oxalic acid, which cause poisonous reactions to those who ingest the plant. If any part of the plant is ingested you may experience nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, burning of the mouth and throat, and swelling of the eyes or mouth.
Why are Alocasia so popular?
Boasting some of the most striking foliage in the houseplant world, the Alocasia is an increasingly popular addition to indoor plant collections due to its unmatched visual and sculptural appeal.
Are all Alocasia poisonous?
The Bottom Line. Alocasia plants make stunning houseplants, but they can be harmful if the plant material is chewed on or swallowed. These plants contain oxalate crystals that can cause mouth pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. They should be kept away from children and pets.
Is Alocasia good for indoor plant?
More commonly known as the elephant ear plant, alocasia is grown as an annual or houseplant in temperate regions. These plants are beloved for their beautiful foliage. Fortunately, alocasias can grow well in pots indoors, provided they receive enough humidity and light.
How do you tell Alocasia from a Colocasia?
One way to tell these plants apart is by examining the undersides of the leaves. Alocasias have waxy glands where the main vein splits into the primary lateral veins. Colocasias lack these glands.
What is similar to elephant ears?
The most common looking are Alocasia, colocasia, and Xanthosoma. Caladium looks similar to elephant ear plants but they have a relatively small size and are available in a variety of colors.
Are caladiums and elephant ears the same thing?
Caladium – Caladium is the name for common elephant ear plants found in nurseries. These foliage plants are perennial and can be hardy down to USDA zone 8. This much smaller elephant ear species only reaches 2 feet (0.5 m.) in height with foliage measuring 8 to 12 inches (20-30.5 cm.)
Is Monstera the same as elephant ears?
Elephant Ears Are Like Monstera But on Some Serious Steroids. We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing. If you thought monstera was massive, wait until you see elephant ear.
Are elephant ears and taro the same thing?
Wild taro is commonly confused with elephant ear (Xanthosoma sagittifolium). Both elephant ear and taro are herbaceous perennials with large leaves up to 6 feet in length. Taro can be distinguished from elephant ears by the attachment of the leaf from the petiole.
Do Alocasia Elephant Ears Have Seeds?
Alocasia odora is also known as elephant ear plant because of its colossally huge leaves and the general shape of the foliage. They are members of...
Planting Elephant Ear Flower Seeds
Once the Alocasia elephant ear has seed pods, remove them once the pod has dried and the seeds are mature. Germination is capricious and variable o...
Propagation of Elephant Ear
Alocasia rarely produces a flower and subsequent seed pod. Their erratic germination means that even if your elephant ear has seed pods, you are be...
Do Alocasia Elephant Ears Have Seeds?
Alocasia odora is also known as elephant ear plant because of its colossally huge leaves and the general shape of the foliage. They are members of the Aroid family, which encompasses plants with some of the most attractive foliage available to gardeners.
Planting Elephant Ear Flower Seeds
Once the Alocasia elephant ear has seed pods, remove them when the pod has dried and the seeds are mature. Germination is capricious and variable on these plants. Seeds should be removed from the pods and rinsed.
Propagation of Elephant Ear
Alocasia rarely produces a flower and subsequent seed pod. Their erratic germination means that even if your elephant ear has seed pods, you are better off starting plants from offsets. The plants send out side shoots at the base of the plant which work well for vegetative production.
Elephant's Ear Care
Even with a short growing season in northern climates, these plants can grow rapidly. In the warm summer months, Alocasia plants can produce a new leaf every week, and each new leaf can be twice the size of the previous week's.
Types of Elephant Ear
There are nearly 100 species of Alocasia, and a surprisingly large number are used as houseplants. Here are some favorite species and cultivars:
Pruning
Pruning your Alocasia is as easy as trimming away its faded leaves. It is normal for leaves to shrivel and die as new leaves appear.
Propagating Alocasia
Most Alocasia plants can be propagated by clump or rhizome division, something that's easy to do and will give you many more plants. Do this task in the spring, since that's a time of growth for the plants and will let you expand this plants overage in your garden.
Growing Elephant's Ear From Seed
This plant is very easy to propagate quickly by root division, so seed propagation isn't often utilized. But if you have a mature plant that does flower and produce seed pods, then you can extract the seeds from the dried pods and plant them in a rich, peat-based potting mix.
Potting and Repotting Elephant's Ear
Repot Alocasia varieties annually into larger pots with fresh, free-draining potting soil. They do well in both clay or plastic, so long as the pot has good drainage. Repotting offers a good time to divide the rhizomes to keep the plant a manageable size and increase your collection.
Common Pests & Plant Diseases
While quite striking, these plants can be quite sensitive to a variety of diseases including crown, stem, and root rot, leaf spot, and Xanthomonas infection. Signs of diseases are typically black or dark brown spots on the leaves and a yellowish rim around the spots.
Light Requirements
The Alocasia Portora enjoys bright light. But it cannot tolerate long hours of direct sunlight on a daily basis. Nor will it do well under intense sun like that in the mid-afternoon and peaks of summer.
Temperature
The Alocasia Portora is hardy to USDA Zones 7b to 11. As such, it can tolerate more cold climate than most houseplants. In fact, it can take a bit of light frost without sustaining damage.
Humidity
Similarly, the Alocasia Portora favors humid conditions, ideally over 50%. It will likewise have no problems if humidity goes over 70%.
How Often to Water Alocasia Portora
Your Alocasia Portora does best in drier conditions. That’s not to say it is a good idea to let it dry out since that will likewise harm the leaves.
Soil for Alocasia Portora
The ideal potting mix for your Alocasia Portora should be well-draining with the ability to hold just enough water to keep it well-hydrated during the warmer months.
Fertilizer
During the spring and summer feed your Alocasia Portora with a balanced water soluble fertilizer diluted to half the recommended strength. Do this once every 2 weeks until the end of August.
Pruning
Alocasia Portora will get big reaching 6 to 8 feet indoors. Outside, it will reach 10 feet or a little more than that.
Common Name (s)
'Calidora' upright elephant ear is a cultivar with very large, attractive, tropical-looking leaves. The plant will grow 5-9 feet tall in a vase shape with arrow-shaped ribbed leaves that can become 6 feet long and 3 feet wide.
Previously known as
'Calidora' upright elephant ear is a cultivar with very large, attractive, tropical-looking leaves. The plant will grow 5-9 feet tall in a vase shape with arrow-shaped ribbed leaves that can become 6 feet long and 3 feet wide.
