Alocasia Calidora and Colocasia esculenta?? i know the colcasia likes water more, which one would be more suited to the uk please and which ones grows the biggest??? cheers !! r they difficult to grow also...
That would depend on which variation you were able to find. Both of these species have different forms. I have Alocasia Calidora, which is a hybrid form of Alocasia odora, that is less than two meters tall. I have Alocasia odora that is well over 4 meters tall. The chances are good Alocasia odora or Alocasia Calidora would grow in your climate since I know they both have survived he winters in zone 7 here. They go completely dormant and vanish but they do return. Colocasia esculenta has hundreds for known leaf forms. Some are very tall some are very small. I grow that one outdoors in zone 7 as well and although it does goes dormant it returns each year. You can find that species explained here: http://www.exoticrainforest.com/Colocasia esculenta large pc.html I'm going to ask one of the foremost experts in North America on both of these, LariAnn Garner to respond to your question. Whatever she says you can take to the bank!
i have decided to purcahse a Alocasia Calidora , i think this will suite my uk climate .. and hopefully grow big, i know it like boggy soil , so how often do i water it, if i dont put in in a container, also can it sit in water if i plant it in a big pot...?? This will be my first ariods grow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Alocasia x calidora will do well in your climate, although it really doesn't require boggy soil. I have had them do fine with normal watering, and of course I've grown the whole range of seedling variants since I did the original hybridization that produced A. x calidora. The commercially available clone is one of the larger growers; I have a much smaller seedling selection (see this link) and I've seen some that grew as large, or larger, than A. odora. LariAnn Aroidia Research
ok are u saying this specie will get big too, how heigh do u think in the uk please? its quite confusing as ive never grown these before, many thanks for ur help!
LariAnn can give you a more detailed answer so I'll allow her to do that. Alocasia Calidora is not a species but a hybrid and the reason I asked LariAnn to comment is she personally created that hybrid. On her website you'll find a large number of hybrid combinations she has created. When it comes to hybridized aroids, she is the most knowledgeable person on the planet as far as I am concerned. None of my plants grow large but the plant is certainly capable of doing so. It just depends on the plant you are fortunate enough to locate. You always have to keep in mind that aroids are quite variable and are capable of both different "faces" as well as different sizes. I'd suggest some reading on LariAnn's site in the meantime: www.AroidiaResearch.org
In the UK I expect that Alocasia x calidora will not get larger than 5 feet tall, assuming you are growing the plant outside in the garden. Here in south Florida USA, I've seen them get 6 to 8 feet tall, and develop trunks as well.
Yes, it does. At least the ones I've kept and worked with have, but they don't produce a lot of them. LariAnn
These species are fairly rapid growers. However, if planted outdoors either will go dormant once the temperature drops. Growth in cool and cold climates is limited solely by the length of the growing season. I have Colocasia esculenta reach 6 feet (almost 2 meters) in NW Arkansas (zone 7) outdoors. However, I don't see that much growth in Alocasia odora or Alocasia Calidora when planted outside. In my atrium, which never gets cold, I have Alocasia odora stay around 12 feet (4 meters) year round.
