LariAnn, Congratulations! another beautiful creations of yours. I am certain that hybrid will be, like all yours, a success
And that should be applauded! Do you have any idea how long these will take to mature? I'd love to grow a few but my atrium ceiling is only 17 feet and I fear they will try to burst the roof! My Alocasia odora press up against portions of the Lexan at the 13 foot level during the summer.
These will grow very rapidly (and require attention to fertilization as well) as so far they have accelerated growth and are throwing nearly a leaf a week. The warm weather is not fully upon us yet. I expect them to reach 10 to 15 feet by midsummer. Their ultimate size will remain to be seen, but with hybrid vigor thrown in and with the parentage in mind, I'm thinking "alocasia juggernaut" here. I also look forward to the blooms as the A. robusta blooms have dark red spathes. The blooms on this hybrid could be either pink or pinkish-orange and much larger than the A. robusta blooms. Could be the first "blooming" Alocasia (i.e. grown as much for the blooms as for the leaves).
From my observations: Alocasia tend to have posterior lobes that point more dramatically backwards than the other two species, and also tend to have tapered posterior lobes (more pointy), as well as the petiole attaching below the sinus. They're also glossier. Xanthosoma are generally bigger leaves than Alocasia, with the distinctive "sheild" shape (more squared) to the posterior lobes that someone else already described, a matte finish, petiole attachment at the sinus, and flowers that more closely resemble Philodendrons. The tuber is quite different from Alocasia as well. Colocasia are much more similar to Xanthosoma, but with more fusing in the posterior lobes and a semi-gloss or velvet finish to the leaf. The petiole length is different between the genera as well, but I can't remember what the general rule is. It's just something I automatically gauge now when I'm looking at the plant. I know this because the latter two are edible and it pays to know your bush tucker.
I realize this is an old thread but have I noted in this and other threads the name "Alocasia rugosa" which is commonly in use but is not an accepted scientific name. It was apparently made up by Agri-Starts who provides many of the plants many of us grow. The name Alocasia rugosa is now a synonym for Alocasia cucullata which looks nothing like the plant called "rugosa". The plant is correctly Alocasia melo A.Hay, P.C.Boyce & K.M.Wong. The name "rugosa" for this plant should be thrown in the trash. I often correspond with botanist Pete Boyce and occasionally with botanist Alistair Hay who are two of the three authors of this species. So far, there is little public info about the correct species on the internet but I have requested a copy of the scientific description from Pete. Look up Alocasia melo on the International Aroid Society website and you can find good photos: www. Aroid.org Here is the answer to where this incorrect name appears to have originated. I realize some will not like my making this post but my only goal is to research for the truth about the plants I grow as well as try to help others understand the truth. Pete Boyce who is one of the authors of this plant is a friend and we trade email virtually on a weekly basis. Pete just answered my note (12/26/10) with this response, "Apologies that we're a bit late replying, we spent the holidays in Brunei, returned back late last night. This is Alocasia melo. I have told Agri-Starts MANY times that the name rugosa is fictitious!" Agri-Starts is a great company as well as a supporter of the IAS. They have made many plants easily available to growers at a low cost. However, they do have a tendency to use "made-up" names when the correct name is known to science. I suppose this is done in order to market the product. As a result, you are going to continue to see it sold as "Alocasia rugosa" but that is not what it truly is. As for the name on the net Alocasia melo 'rugosa', that name is not a registered name, simply another made up name. Someone likely did that because they were trying to convey the correct name but included the fictitious name since many people already know the plant by the bad name. In order to correctly use single quotes around a name the plant must be a registered cultivar and the International Aroid Society is the registry for aroids. As far as I can determine, no one has ever requested to register that name so it simply becomes a "common name". Any grower is more than free to use any tag they wish on their plants, it is simply up to every grower to refer to any plant by any name they choose but from following some of your threads I know quite a few of you want to know the truth, not fiction. For any of you that would like to meet Pete, he will be the guest of the International Aroid Society at our annual show in Miami, the third weekend of Miami. He is great about spending time with growers in order to help you better understand your plants. Best wishes, Steve Lucas
Hello Bihai Do you perhaps have any tubers of your variegated Frydek to spare/trade/sell. It looks amazing. Regards Belinda beeoliv (at) yahoo.co.uk
Belinda, I see Dave´s Garden has "variegated Fridek" for sale: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=5352058
