About
Alocasia heterophylla is a small aroid endemic to the Philippines, named for its leaves, which vary widely in shape even on one plant.
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
- Division of offsets. General guidance for the genus
- Mature size
- About 50 cm 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 to about 50 cm tall, usually with 3–5 leaves on stalks about 35 cm long. The blades are 20–27 cm long, triangular, arrow- or spear-shaped, with entire or slightly wavy margins, and may be deeply peltate, shallowly peltate or not peltate at all. It has 3–4 primary side veins that curve towards the leaf tip and a noticeably broad vein running just inside the margin.
Distribution & habitat
Endemic to Luzon, Mindanao and Polillo in the Philippines, on limestone-rich ground, usually near beaches at 29–200 m.
History & etymology
It gives its name to the 'Heterophylla Group' of Philippine alocasias, which also includes the very similar A. ramosii and A. boyceana; those two never have peltate leaves.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- Philippines
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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