Wild, Wonderful Aroids Part Two - Elephant Ears, Alocasia, Colocasia and Xanthosoma - Page 7
© Marge Talt
The entire plant was so large it took three separate images to capture it. These photographs were taken at the butterfly house in Durham, NC this summer, where I met this plant and immediately fell head over heals in love with it.
Like many colocasias, some alocasias are also edible. A. macrorrhiza is one. It has been grown for the edible corm/tuber for centuries throughout tropical Asia.
The Hawaiians cultivated it, calling it ape (ah-pay), although, today, I have read that apes are generally grown by the Tongan and Samoan people who live in Hawaii as the true Hawaiians prefer colocasias. I've also seen A. macrorrhiza referred to as wild taro in some references or giant upright elephant ear or giant taro in others. It has many common names throughout the regions where it's grown. This species is native to tropical forests in Sri Lanka, India and Malaysia where it is part of the understory, found in clearings and along streams.
This image shows the stems that held the leaf in the previous image, plus smaller leaves coming on. What amazes me about this plant is the amount of white on the leaves. Lack of pigmentation usually results in plants that are not very robust, which this child definitely is!
A. macrorrhiza can easily grow well over six feet (1.8 m) in height in the ground; under ideal conditions, A. macrorrhiza 'Variegata' can reach eight to ten feet (2.43 - 3.04 m) tall. They prefer deep holes with rich, moist, organic planting material, and while liking a bright situation, do quite well in partial shade, tolerating almost full shade. A. macrorrhiza loves humidity and can tolerate shallow flooding, but is not at all tolerant of salt.
Often rated hardy only in USDA zones 9-11, this is another species that seems to winter over in USDA zone 7b, Raleigh, NC, surviving 0ºF (-17ºC), according to Tony Avent, but preferring warmer temperatures.
In addition to the incredible variegated leaves, the petioles are also variegated. These images do not give you the full impact of this plant. It simply took my breath away.
The leaves emerge from the center of the plant, from within the innermost leaf petiole (stem). In active growth, the petiole becomes larger with each new leaf produced. After the leaves die back, they leave a husk, which, if removed, shows a ring scar for every leaf.
Propagation is by severing the rhizomes between upright stems or separating offsets from the parent plant. Stem cuttings also root readily in spring and summer. If you are lucky enough to have your plants flower (the greenish spath is about eight to ten inches tall (20 - 25 cm) and not terribly showy), you can plant the reddish seeds that develop along the spadix as soon as they ripen. They will germinate in warmth.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
