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Alocasia is a genus of broad-leaved rhizomatous or bulbous perennials from the family Araceae .
There are about 70 species, occurring in tropical, humid climates of SE Asia and Brazil .
Their large cordate or sagittate leaves grow to a length of 20-90 cm on long petioles .
Their beautiful araceous flowers grow at the end of a long stem. They are not conspicuous and are often hidden behind the leaves.
The roots are edible, but most contain poisonous substances that numb and swell the tongue and the pharynx.
Some hybrids, such as the Amazon Lily of the African Mask (Alocasia x amazonica ), are grown as ornamentals.
Species
Alocasia acuminata : (Indonesia) Alocasia aequiloba : (New Guinea) Alocasia alba : (Sri Lanka) Alocasia argyrea : Alocasia arifolia : (Malaysia) Alocasia atropurpurea : (Philippines) Alocasia augustiana : Alocasia × bachi (unplaced name) Alocasia balgooyi : (Sulawesi) Alocasia beccarii : (Malaysia) Alocasia boa : (New Guinea) Alocasia boyceana : (Philippines) Alocasia brancifolia : (New Guinea) Alocasia brisbanensis : (Australia) Alocasia cadieri : (SE Asia) Alocasia celebica : (Sulawesi) Alocasia × chantrieri : (unplaced name) Alocasia × chantrieriana : (unplaced name) Alocasia clypeolata : Green Shield (Philippines) Alocasia × conspicua (= A. longiloba × A.odora ) (unplaced name) Alocasia coriacea : (unplaced name) Alocasia cucullata : Chinese Taro (Indonesia) Alocasia culionensis : (Philippines) Alocasia cuprea : (Borneo) Alocasia decipiens : (Indonesia) Alocasia decumbens : (Vietnam) Alocasia denudata : (Singapore) Alocasia devansayana : (New Guinea) Alocasia evrardii : (SE Asia) (unplaced name) Alocasia fallax : (East Himalaya to Bangladesh) Alocasia flabellifera : (New Guinea) Alocasia flemingiana : (Java) Alocasia fornicata : (Indonesia) Alocasia gageana : (Myanmar) Alocasia × gaulainii : (unplaced name) Alocasia grandis : (Indonesia) (unplaced name) Alocasia grata : (Indonesia) Alocasia hainanensis : (Hainan, China) Alocasia hainaica : (Hainan to N. Vietnam) Alocasia heterophylla : (Philippines) Alocasia hollrungii : (New Guinea) Alocasia inornata : (Sumatra) Alocasia kerinciensis : (Sumatra) Alocasia lancifolia : (New Guinea) Alocasia lauterbachiana : (New Guinea) Alocasia longiloba : (Malaysia) Alocasia macrorrhizos : Giant Taro, Elephant Ear, Ape flower (SE Asia, Australia, Pacific) Alocasia macrorrhizos var. brisbanensis : (Australia) Alocasia maquilingensis : (Philippines) Alocasia melo : (Borneo) Alocasia micholitziana : Elephant’s Ear Plant (Philippines) Alocasia minuscula : (Borneo) Alocasia monticola : (New Guinea) Alocasia × mortfontanensis : (unplaced name) Alocasia navicularis : (Himalaya) Alocasia nebula : (Borneo) Alocasia nicolsonii : (New Guinea) Alocasia odora : Night-scented Lily (SE Asia, China) Alocasia pangeran : (Borneo) Alocasia peltata : (Borneo) Alocasia perakensis : (Malaysia) Alocasia portei : (New Guinea) Alocasia princeps : (Malaysia) Alocasia principiculus : (Borneo) Alocasia puber : (Java) Alocasia puteri : (Borneo) Alocasia putii : (Thailand) (unplaced name) Alocasia pyrospatha : (New Guinea) Alocasia ramosii : (Philippines) Alocasia rapiformis : (Myanmar) (unplaced name) Alocasia regina : (Borneo) Alocasia reginula : Black Velvet (cultivated ) Alocasia reversa : (Philippines) Alocasia ridleyi : (Borneo) Alocasia robusta : (Borneo) Alocasia × rodigasiana : (unplaced name) Alocasia sanderiana : (Malaysia) Alocasia sarawakensis : (Borneo) Alocasia scabriuscula : (Borneo) Alocasia scalprum : (Philippines) Alocasia × sedeni : (unplaced name) Alocasia simonsiana : (New Guinea) Alocasia sinuata : (Malaysia) Alocasia suhirmaniana : (Sulawesi) Alocasia x van-houtteana : (unplaced name) Alocasia venusta : (Borneo) Alocasia wentii : New Guinea Shield (New Guinea) Alocasia wongii : (Borneo) Alocasia zebrina : (Philippines) All hybrids have been obtained artificially.
Results from FactBites:
Aroids III: ALocasias (407 words)
Alocasia scalprum was originally found growing by residents on Samar Island in The Philippines.
Alocasia sanderiana var nobilis is a beautiful plant from Mindanao, Philippines where it is probably extinct or very rare.
Alocasia reginula is a striking and rare plant from Borneo - the interesting part is nobody has ever reported it in the wild and its exact habitat remains a mystery - the original population was from Lyon Arboretum in Hawaii which in turn got it from a Japanese collector in Borneo.
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