Alocasia sanderiana
Kris plant
Family AraceaeAlso called Sander's alocasia
About
Alocasia sanderiana, the kris plant, is a critically endangered aroid from northern Mindanao, Philippines, widely grown for its dramatic foliage.
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 60 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 60 cm. Arrow-shaped leaves 30–41 cm long are glossy dark green to near black with bold white veins and wavy, scalloped edges, often purple beneath.
Distribution & habitat
Northern Mindanao, Philippines.
Cultivation notes
Grown as an ornamental and, outside the tropics, as a houseplant.
History & etymology
Named after Henry Frederick Conrad Sander; "kris" refers to the wavy leaf edge, like the blade of a kris sword.
Conservation
Critically Endangered in the wild; collecting wild plants is illegal in the Philippines, with prison terms and heavy fines.
Habitat
- Altitude
- Not recorded
- Altitude class
- —
- Native to
- Philippines
- IUCN status
- Critically endangered
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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