Is it Alocasia? What is the variety of my Alocasia? Join me in this post to show you my easy way for Alocasia identification. I will help you to identify this plant with its leaves and you will get familiar with one of the best plant identifiers that I tested.
Alocasia is native to tropical and subtropical eastern Australia and Asia and belongs to the family Araceae. Hence this perennial indoor plant with its broad leaves will give a tropical view to your living space. However, similar to most tropical houseplants it is not a safe plant for babies and pets.
There are about 90 accepted species in the genus Alocasia which makes its identification difficult. So, keep reading to learn how to identify 23 of its most common species with their leaves.
For those who are busy: If you are busy and don’t have enough time to identify your Alocasia plant, I provide you with the following Alocasia Identification chart. The leaves of 23 Alocasia species and varieties have been shown along with a number next to them.
You can find Your Alocasia leaf shape and seek its name by its number in the following table. I also listed additional information about the appearance of every Alocasia species that will help you with its identification.
Scientific name | Common names | Plant Size | Leaf Shape | Leaf color | Leaf size | Stem shape | |
1 | Alocasia amazonica | African Mask, Amazonian Elephant Ear, Alocasia Polly | Around 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) in height | Arrowhead-shaped | Dark green or blackish-green with prominent white veins | Around 6-12 inches (15-30 cm) in length | Purplish slender stems |
2 , 3 , 4 | Alocasia baginda
|
Have three varieties:
Dragon scale (2) Pink dragon (3) Silver Dragon (4) |
Around 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 centimeters) | Heart-shaped
|
Glossy green
with prominent veins. (Unique patterns such as silver veins or dark spots in some cultivars) |
Around 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 centimeters) in length | |
5 | Alocasia brancifolia | Green Shield Alocasia | Around
3 to 6 feet (90 to 180 centimeters)
|
Shield-shaped | Glossy, deep green with a prominent venation pattern | Around 1 to 3 feet (30 to 90 centimeters). | Sturdy and upright |
6 | Alocasia cucullata | Buddha’s Hand, Chinese Taro | Around 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) in height. | Heart-shaped
Slightly cupped (a hooded appearance) |
Glossy green | Around 8-12 inches (20-30 cm) in length. | Slender and purplish |
7 | Alocasia cuprea | Jewel Alocasia, Mirror Plant, Coppery Jewel Alocasia | Around 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) in height | Heart-shaped | Metallic sheen Coppery-bronze to deep purple) Reddish-purple undersides | Around 6-10 inches (15-25 cm) in length | |
8 | Alocasia heterophylla | Kris Plant, Kris Alocasia | Around 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) in height. | Elongated and lanceolate with ruffled or wavy edge | Glossy dark green | Around 6-10 inches (15-25 cm) in length. | Slender and upright. |
9 | Alocasia infernalis | Black magic plant | Around 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) in height. | arrowhead-shaped with a velvety texture | Dark green (almost black)
Deep maroon or purple on the undersides |
Around 6-10 inches (15-25 cm) in length. | |
10 | Alocasia longiloba | Yellowtail Alocasia, Long-Lobed Alocasia | Around 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) in height. | Arrowhead-shaped with distinct lobes | Large glossy or semi-glossy green leaves with prominent veins | Around 8-12 inches (20-30 cm) in length. | long Stem (Around 1 to 2 feet (30 to 60 centimeters) in length. |
11 | Alocasia macrorrhizos | Giant Taro, Giant Elephant Ear, Giant Alocasia | Around 4-8 feet (1.2-2.4 meters) or more in height | Large and arrowhead-shaped l | Glossy and deep green | Around
2-3 feet (60-90 cm) or larger in length. |
thick and sturdy |
12 | Alocasia melo | – | Around 2-3 feet (60-90 cm) in height | Large and heart-shaped | Glossy and dark green leaves with prominent veins.
Reddish-purple on the undersides |
Around 6-12 inches (15-30 cm) in length. | |
13 | Alocasia micholitziana frydek | Green Velvet Alocasia, Alocasia Frydek | Around 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) in height. | Large and heart-shaped leaves with a velvety texture | Dark green leaves with
striking white or silver veins |
Around 6-12 inches (15-30 cm) in length. | |
14 | Alocasia nebula | Silver plant | Around 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 centimeters) | Large and arrowhead-shaped | Green
you may spot marbled or variegated patterns on leaves with white, silver, or light green shades. |
Around 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 centimeters) | Slender and upright |
15 | Alocasia odora | Giant Upright Elephant Ear | Around 4-8 feet (1.2-2.4 meters) or more in height. | Large upright, arrowhead-shaped leaves | Bright green leaves with
prominent lighter veins |
Around 2-3 feet (60-90 cm) or larger in length. | |
16 | Alocasia plumbea | Metallic Alocasia | Around 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) in height | Large and shield-shaped leaves | Metallic sheen (from deep green to bluish-green or silvery-gray) | Around 6-10 inches (15-25 cm) in length. | Thick and erect with purplish hue |
17 | Alocasia portei | Malaysian monster | Around 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) in height. | Large shield-shaped leaves with slightly wavy edge | Glossy and deep green with
prominent veins |
Around 6-10 inches (15-25 cm) in length. | Thick and sturdy |
18 | Alocasia reginae | Alocasia Reginae, Sumawong’s Alocasia | Around 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) in height. | heart-shaped leaves | dark green with maroon or purple undersides.
Prominent white veins that radiate from the center. |
Around 6-10 inches (15-25 cm) in length. | |
19 | Alocasia reginula | Little Queen, Black Queen, Black Velvet | Around 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) in height. | velvety heart-shaped leaves
(A black velvet-like appearance) |
dark green to black on top and purple on the undersides | Around 6-12 inches (15-30 cm) in length.
|
|
20 | Alocasia reversa | Silver Dragon, Reversed Alocasia | Around 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) in height. | Large and arrowhead-shaped | Silver-green with prominent dark green veins.
Usually is purple on the undersides |
Around 6-10 inches (15-25 cm) in length. | |
21 | Alocasia sanderiana | Kris Plant, Jewel Alocasia | Around 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) in height. | Elongated and lanceolate with serrated edges (resembling the blade of a Kris dagger) | Deep green with glossy texture | Around 8-12 inches (20-30 cm) in length. | |
22 | Alocasia sarawakensis | Yucatan Princess | About 4 to 6 feet (120 to 180 centimeters) in height | Elongated and lanceolate | Glossy green with prominent veins. | Up to 2 to 3 feet (60 to 90 centimeters) in length | Slender and upright |
23 | Alocasia scalprum | Samar | Around 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 centimeters) | Elongated and lanceolate with scalloped or wavy edges | Deep green wiht prominent veins | Around 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 centimeters) in length. | |
24 | Alocasia wentii | Went’s Alocasia | Around 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) in height | Large and heart-shaped | Glossy green with prominent veins. | Around 6-10 inches (15-25 cm) in length. | slender and upright. |
25 | Alocasia zebrina | Elephant Ear, Zebra Alocasia, Zebra Elephant Ear | Around 2-3 feet (60-90 cm) in height. | Large and arrowhead-shaped | Green leaves Some varieties have striking patterns (deep green or black) that resemble zebra stripes | Around 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) in length. | Long with a zebra-like pattern |
The “House Plant Identifier” is a free online tool that I tested for various indoor and outdoor plants including trees, flowers, ornamental, and wild plant identification. I’ve found it well in terms of accuracy and ease of use.
When you spot an unknown plant, you must enter its website, take an online pic (or upload its pic from your gallery), and click on the start button. It only takes 2 seconds to identify your intended plant with high accuracy. I also tested the “House plant identifier” to identify my indoor brown mushrooms. This tool can also detect plant diseases.
I recommend testing it for your Alocasia identification and enjoying it.
I provided you with 23 popular species of Alocasia and shared with you my experiences and knowledge in Alocasia identification. I tried to make it easy for you by creating charts and tables. However, there are more than 90 species in this genus with a lot of varieties.
Hence, you may spot or have a species that I didn’t mention in this post. In this situation, I recommend getting help from the “House plant identifier” to find its name.
Did you find identify your Alocasia species? What was its name? Please tell me below this page.
Hi, I’m Elaheh. My Academic major is plant protection, and houseplants are my expertise. As a houseplant lover, my house is full of indoor plants and it is my passion to take care of them. Hence, I’m here to share my knowledge and experience about growing healthy houseplants. I am also a plant protection advisor, so feel free to ask me any questions you may have.