Alocasia brisbanensis
Cunjevoi
Family AraceaeAlso called Elephant ear, Native lily, Spoon lily
About
Alocasia brisbanensis, the cunjevoi, is a large-leaved aroid of eastern Australian rainforests, grown for its tropical foliage and strongly scented flowers.
Care at a glance
- Pet safety
- Toxic to cats, dogs and horses: calcium oxalate crystals irritate the mouth and gut. General guidance for the genus
- People
- Poisonous: the sap carries needle-like calcium oxalate crystals that irritate skin and eyes, and eating any part causes immediate pain, burning and swelling of the lips, tongue and mouth. A few children have died after eating parts of the plant.
- Light
- Bright light indoors, avoiding afternoon sun; partial shade outdoors.
- Water
- Water regularly but avoid waterlogging; overwatering leads to root rot and yellowing leaves. General guidance for the genus
- Humidity
- High humidity; sensitive to dry conditions.
- Temperature
- Sensitive to cold; dormant in winter.
- Soil
- Moist, well-drained, humus-rich, slightly acidic soil. General guidance for the genus
- Propagation
- Division of offsets. General guidance for the genus
- Mature size
- 1.5–1.8 m tall.
- Hardiness
- USDA zones 10a–12b. General guidance for the genus
“General guidance for the genus” marks advice sourced for the genus as a whole rather than this species.
Field notes
Morphology
Grows 1.5–1.8 m tall. Glossy, arrow- to heart-shaped leaves about 70 × 60 cm sit on fleshy purplish-brown to green petioles up to 1.1 m long. The stem is prostrate to erect and about 13 cm thick.
Distribution & habitat
Rainforest margins and moist, shaded creek lines and swamp forest at low altitude in Queensland and coastal New South Wales north of the Illawarra.
Cultivation notes
Grown indoors and in gardens. Indoors it takes bright light but afternoon sun can bleach the leaves; outdoors it prefers part shade. Sensitive to cold and dry air, needs high humidity, rests in winter and benefits from feeding in the growing season. Mealybugs, spider mites and aphids are common pests.
History & etymology
The name "cunjevoi" comes from the Bundjalung language of northern New South Wales.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- Australia
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
- Temperature
- Sensitive to cold; dormant in winter.
- Humidity
- High humidity; sensitive to dry conditions.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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