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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.

Semi Shade

Lots of Water

Moderate Water

Ornamental Leaves

Herbaceous Plant

Name

Family Name
Genus Epithet
Species Epithet
Infraspecific Epithet
Name Status (botanical)
Common Names
Comments
Species Summary

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).

Others - Plant Morphology	It produces short stolons that end in brown, round tubercles (small, corm-like organs that grow into new plants).
Cultivation	This species grows best in bright light with light shade and moist, but well-drained loamy soil. However, it can tolerate shade to full sun, and sandy to clayey soils.
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

Images

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.