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Alocasia macrorrhizos 'New Guinea Gold'

Family Name:	Araceae
Synonyms:	Alocasia macrorrhizos 'Solid Gold', Alocasia macrorrhizos 'Jungle Gold', Alocasia macrorrhizos 'Orinoco Gold'
Common Name:	New Guinea Gold Giant Taro, New Guinea Gold Elephant's Ear

Alocasia macrorrhizos 'New Guinea Gold' is a large perennial herb that produces a rosette of large, erect leaves. This cultivar produces variegated leaves with golden leaf stalks, veins and varying spots and specks on the dark green leaf blade.

Full Sun

Semi Shade

Lots of Water

Moderate Water

Ornamental Leaves

Herbaceous Plant

Name

Family Name
Genus Epithet
Species Epithet
Infraspecific Epithet
Name Status (botanical)
Synonyms
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 herb 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 rounded, arrowhead-shaped, bluntly triangular in shape. 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. The leaf is variegated with golden petioles (leaf stalks), veins and varying spots and specks on the dark green leaf blade.
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).

Flowers	The inflorescence is a yellow spadix comprising of an appendix (a sterile rod-like upper portion of the spadix) and tiny fertile flowers in the lower portion, with a greenish spathe. This cultivar is reported to be sterile as male flowers do not produce any pollen.
Cultivation	This species grows best in bright light with light shade and moist, but well-drained loamy soil. However, it can tolerate full sun and sandy to clayey soils. This cultivar goes by several other names in the horticultural trade, such as Alocasia macrorrhizos 'Solid Gold', A. macrorrhizos 'Jungle Gold', and A. macrorrhizos 'Orinoco Gold' (only in Japan).
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 arises from a purported first sighting of a specimen in Papua New Guinea.

Landscaping Features

Desirable Plant Features	Ornamental Foliage, Ornamental Form
Landscape Uses	Parks & Gardens, Focal Plant, Container Planting
Thematic Landscaping	Bioswales / Sunken Garden, Golden 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	Full Sun, Semi-Shade
Water Preference	Lots of Water, Moderate Water
Plant Growth Rate	Fast to Moderate

Rootzone Tolerance	Moist Soils, Fertile Loamy Soils, Well-Drained Soils
Potential Problems	In wet, poorly-drained soil, the corms are prone to rot.
Pest(s)	Chewing Insects
Propagation Method	Storage Organ (Corm), Division

Foliar

Foliage Retention	Evergreen
Mature Foliage Colour(s)	Green, Yellow / Golden
Mature Foliage Texture(s)	Glossy / Shiny, Thick

Foliar Modification	Flower/Fruit Bract
Foliar Type	Simple / Unifoliate
Foliar Arrangement Along Stem	Rosulate / Rosette
Foliar Attachment to Stem	Petiolate
Foliar Shape(s)	Non-Palm Foliage (Sagittate)
Foliar Margin	Entire - Wavy / Undulate
Foliar Apex - Tip	Acute
Foliar Base	Hastate
Typical Foliar Area	Macrophyll ( 182.25cm2 - 1640.25 cm2 )
Leaf Area Index (LAI) for Green Plot Ratio	3.5 (Shrub & Groundcover - Monocot)

Non - Foliar and Storage

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

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Others

Master ID	33587
Species ID	8001
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.