Alocasia
Nearly 70 species of Alocasia
occur in tropical Asia, with very high diversity in Borneo,
the Philippines and New Guinea. We have 40 species in cultivation,
including all of the Bornean endemic species, of which we
presently offer 20 for sale. More species will be offered
as they become available from our tissue culture laboratory
and from seed.
There is some confusion on how
to differentiate between Alocasia and Colocasia
(the true taro), and much has been written about the poise
of the leaves, etc. However, the easiest way to distinguish
them is to observe the fruits. Alocasia produces
erect spikes of bright odourless orange berries. Each berry
contains between one and three large round seeds. Colocasia
produces a drooping spike of small pale yellow or brown fruits
that smell like overripe pineapple. Each berry contains numerous
small ablong seeds.
Please click
here for a listing of the Alocasia species
we currently offer.
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