The demand for foliage plants as decoration in modern homes seems beyond the limit. And the latest excitement among those who supply plants to meet this demand concerns the alocasias.
These handsome natives of the tropics are related to the better-known philodendrons, anthuriums, dieffenbachias, aglaonemas, or Chinese evergreens.
Unique in Coloring and Bold in Shape
Alocasias attract the attention of all who see them. The combinations of bronze, green, silver-gray, and cream, with corresponding variations in the shape of the leaves, make them truly gems among plants grown for their foliage.
My attention was first attracted to alocasias at a flower show in Orlando, Florida. A keen young plantsman, Robert MeColley, displayed a collection of these plants he grows and hybridizes in Winter Park, Florida.
Alocasias are still relatively uncommon, and a bit of sleuthing may be necessary to locate them. While growers may have one or more of the plants, their stocks may not be plentiful enough for listing in catalogs.
44659 by Bess L. Shippy