Alocasia cucullata
Chinese taro
Family AraceaeAlso called Buddha's hand, Hooded dwarf elephant ear
About
Alocasia cucullata, the Chinese taro or Buddha’s hand, is an ornamental aroid known only from cultivation and disturbed ground around settlements in Asia.
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
- Calcium oxalate crystals cause painful irritation of the lips, mouth and throat if eaten, possibly with nausea and vomiting; sap can cause contact dermatitis. General guidance for the genus
- Light
- Dappled sun or partial shade (2–6 hours of direct sun). General guidance for the genus
- Water
- Water regularly but avoid waterlogging; overwatering leads to root rot and yellowing leaves. General guidance for the genus
- Temperature
- Grows best with daytime temperatures of about 20–25 °C (68–77 °F). General guidance for the genus
- Soil
- Moist, well-drained, humus-rich, slightly acidic soil. General guidance for the genus
- Propagation
- Reproduces readily from stem or root pieces in soil.
- Mature size
- Up to about 1 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
Perennial herb up to 1 m tall with thick stems branching from the base. Roughly heart-shaped leaves up to 40 × 28 cm sit on sheathed stalks usually about 30 cm long. Flowers are rare, with a green spathe; red berries 6–8 mm wide are occasionally produced.
Distribution & habitat
Native range unclear; grown widely in Asia, including China, India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, and introduced elsewhere.
Ecology
Pollinated by drosophilid flies (Colocasiomyia) in Japan. Spreads easily from pieces of stem or root and can suffer bacterial leaf spot caused by Pantoea agglomerans.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
Cultivation
- Difficulty
- Not recorded
- Temperature
- Grows best with daytime temperatures of about 20–25 °C (68–77 °F).
Text adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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