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Alocasia x amazonica |
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This is a rather popular Alocasia hybrid (sanderiana
x longiloba, if I remember correctly).
The leaves start out being dark green with white veins,
then change color to dark gray, with some greenish tint.
This alocasia should not be exposed to high levels of lights; strong sunshine can kill it even under 60% shade cloth. Infestations of spider mites should be dealt with as soon as discovered, as it does niot tolerate them very well, and can die in very short time.
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In reality, the leaves are not as dark as they seem to be on this picture; they have more green to them.
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Here is a specimen that has been experimentally planted outside by the entrance to my house.
SUrprisingly, it thrived here, despite the low humidity of the California summer. The leaves are almost two feet long. For a while I thought this was a quite large size for this specied ...
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... until I saw this one in the UC Berekeley Botanical Garden. These leaves are about 2.5 feet long..
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I got this one from the distribution of surplus plants at the Duke University
Botany Dept. It was labeled as Alocasia longiloba x. cuprea. While the leaf margins are somewhat less wavy then in the photos above, I think it is the same hybrid, just with a bit of natural variation.
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All photos Copyright © 1995-1997 Krzysztof Kozminski