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Alocasia macrorrhizos 'Stingray'
| Family Name: | Araceae |
| Common Name: | Stingray Alocasia, Stingray Elephant's Ear |
Alocasia macrorrhizos 'Stingray' is a large perennial herb that produces a rosette of large, erect leaves. This cultivar produces intensely mutated leaves that sharply taper into a slim tail, resembling a sting ray.
Name
Classifications and Characteristics
| Plant Division | Angiosperms (Flowering Seed Plants) (Monocotyledon) |
|---|---|
| Plant Growth Form | Herbaceous Plant |
| Lifespan (in Singapore) | Perennial |
| Mode of Nutrition | Autotrophic |
Biogeography
| Preferred Climate Zone | Tropical |
|---|---|
| Local Conservation Status | Non-native (Horticultural / Cultivated Only) |
Description and Ethnobotany
| Growth Form | It is a perennial herbaceous aroid that can reach up to 1.5 - 2 m in height. |
|---|---|
| Foliage | The leaves are held upright and arranged in a rosette at the tip of the stems. The leaf blades are intensely mutated, where the distal part of the leaf sharply tapers to a thin pointed midrib, resembling the tail of the stingray. The sinus ( indentation where the leaf stalk connects to the lateral lobes in aroids) is naked or open, with no connecting leaf blade between the posterior/lateral lobes. |
| Stems | The stems are underground corms (thick, often round, modified stems) that elongate as the plant ages, either growing erect or decumbent (lying along the ground with the leafy shoot curving upwards). |
| Reproductive Parts - non-flowering plant | It produces short stolons that end in brown, round tubercles (small, corm-like organs that grow into new plants). |
| Etymology | The generic epithet Alocasia is derived from the Greek terms, a- "not" and kolokāsiā "lotus root", alluding to its similarity to Colocasia, a closely-allied genus. The specific epithet macrorrhizos is Greek for "large roots," possibly referring to the thick, root-like stems. The cultivar name is given due to the leaf's resemblance to a stingray. |
Landscaping Features
| Desirable Plant Features | Ornamental Foliage, Ornamental Form |
|---|---|
| Landscape Uses | General, Parks & Gardens, Focal Plant, Container Planting |
| Thematic Landscaping | Naturalistic Garden |
| Usage Hazard - Cons | Irritant - Sap, Toxic Upon Ingestion |
| Usage Hazard - Cons Remarks | Irritant Sap/ Toxic Upon Ingestion: The slightly milky sap contains calcium oxalate raphides, which are needle-shaped crystals that can cause irritation to skin, mouth and throat. Keep plants away from children and pets. |
Plant Care and Propagation
| Light Preference | Semi-Shade |
|---|---|
| Water Preference | Lots of Water, Moderate Water |
| Plant Growth Rate | Fast to Moderate |
| Rootzone Tolerance | Moist Soils, Well-Drained Soils, Fertile Loamy Soils |
| Maintenance Requirements | High |
| Pest(s) | Chewing Insects, Sucking Insects |
| Propagation Method | Storage Organ (Corm), Division, Sucker |
Foliar
| Foliage Retention | Evergreen |
|---|---|
| Mature Foliage Colour(s) | Green |
| Mature Foliage Texture(s) | Crinkled / Twisted, Glossy / Shiny |
| Foliar Type | Simple / Unifoliate |
| Foliar Arrangement Along Stem | Rosulate / Rosette |
| Foliar Attachment to Stem | Petiolate |
| Foliar Base | Hastate |
| Leaf Area Index (LAI) for Green Plot Ratio | 3.5 (Shrub & Groundcover - Monocot) |
Non - Foliar and Storage
| Stem Type & Modification | Herbaceous |
|---|---|
| Root Type | Underground (Fibrous Root) |
| Specialised Storage Organ(s) | Underground (Corm) |
Floral (Angiosperm)
| Flower & Plant Sexuality | Unisexual Flowers , Monoecious |
| Flower Grouping | Cluster / Inflorescence |
|---|
| Flower Location | Axillary |
| Inflorescence Type | Spathe & Spadix |
| Ovary Position | Superior / Hypogynous |
| Flowering Habit | Polycarpic |
Image Repository
Others
| Master ID | 343 |
|---|---|
| Species ID | 1639 |
| Flora Disclaimer | The information in this website has been compiled from reliable sources, such as reference works on medicinal plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment and NParks does not purport to provide any medical advice. Readers should always consult his/her physician before using or consuming a plant for medicinal purposes. |
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