Alocasia odora

• Overview
• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Overview

Full sun to part shade. Loves moisture. Ideal for big pots. Hardy in zone 7. Otherwise dig up in fall to overwinter .

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

Family Araceae

Herbs, perennial , wetland or terrestrial , occasionally emergent or floating, [often epiphytic or climbing ], usually with milky or watery latex, rarely colored . Rhizomes, corms, or stolons present; rhizomes vertical or horizontal, creeping at or near surface , sometimes branched; corms underground, starchy; stolons at or near surface. Stems absent [sometimes aboveground or aerial ]. Cataphylls usually present. Leaves rarely solitary, alternate or clustered; petiole rarely absent, with sheathing base ; blade simple or compound [occasionally perforate ], elliptic to obovate or spatulate , occasionally sagittate-cordate, larger than 1.5 cm; venation parallel or pinnate- or palmate-netted. Inflorescences spadices, each with 3--900 usually tightly grouped, sessile flowers, subtended by spathe ; spathe rarely absent, persistent (sometimes only proximally) or deciduous, variously colored; spadix cylindric or ovoid , various parts occasionally naked or with sterile flowers. Flowers bisexual or unisexual , staminate and pistillate usually on same plants or functionally on different plants, staminate flowers distal to pistillate when unisexual; perianth absent or present; stamens 2--12, distinct or connate in synandria; ovaryies 1, 1--3(--many) -locular, sessile or embedded in spadix; styles 1; stigmas hemispheric , capitate, or discoid [sometimes strongly lobed ]. Fruits berries , distinct or connate at maturity. Seeds 1--40(--many) per berry.

Genera 105, species more than 3300 (8 genera, 10 species in the flora ; species in 10 additional genera may persist locally within flora area, see talbe 203.1) : nearly worldwide, primarily tropical regions .

Araceae are best characterized by the inflorescence, a fleshy cylindric or ovoid, unbranched spadix subtended or surrounded by a spathe. True spathes are absent in the Nearctic genus Orontium and in the Australian genus Gymnostachys. Other plant families with a compressed spadix-like inflorescence, such as Piperaceae and Cyclanthaceae, either do not have a structure equivalent to a spathe (Piperaceae) or have early-deciduous bracts (Cyclanthaceae) . Plants are usually glabrous , rarely pubescent or spiny (pubescent in Pistia) . Many Araceae exhibit typical monocotyledonous parallel leaf venation, but some genera have net leaf venation more typical of dicotyledons.

Infrafamilial classification of the Araceae is under active study. The only classification of the family to date to utilize modern phylogenetic techniques (S. J. Mayo et al. 1997) recognizes seven subfamilies, of which three are represented in native temperate North American aroid flora: Orontioideae (Orontium, Symplocarpus, Lysichiton) ; Calloideae (Calla) ; and Aroideae (Peltandra, Arisaema, and Pistia) . Acorus, a genus historically included in Araceae, is treated as a separate family in theat flora based on extensive morphologic and chemical evidence that supports its removal from Arales (M. H. Grayum 1987) .

The number of genera of Araceae occurring in temperate North America is low in comparison with other continents, and primitive taxa are disproportionately represented. Orontioideae and Calloideae, which include four of the seven native genera found in the flora area, are the basal clades within Araceae. Plants in these subfamilies possess the primitive states for many characteristics in Araceae and share few derived characteristics with other aroid genera (M. H. Grayum 1990) . The more advanced genera native to the flora area include one genus endemic to eastern North America (Peltandra), a pantropical genus with an uncertain native distribution (Pistia), and a genus clearly Eurasian in origin (Arisaema) .

Araceae contain crystals of calcium oxalate , which are often cited as causing the intense irritation experienced when handling or consuming the raw plant tissue of many genera in the family. This supposition is contradicted by the fact that although irritation generally is not produced by properly cooked plants, the crystals remain after heating. Other compounds must therefore be involved with causing this reaction. Studies of Dieffenbachia demonstrated that a proteolytic enzyme , as well as other compounds, are responsible for the severe irritation caused by this plant and that raphides of calcium oxalate do not play a major role (J. Arditti and E. Rodriguez 1982) . Whether irritation is caused by enzymes or crystals, that aspect of Araceae has resulted in aroid genera being included in many lists of poisonous plants (e.g. , K . F. Lampe and M. A. McCann 1985; G. A. Mulligan and D. B . Munro 1990; K. D. Perkins and W. W. Payne 1978) .

Despite the toxic effects of Araceae, species of several genera are cultivated as food plants, mainly as subsistence crops in tropical areas. The major edible Araceae are Colocasia esculenta and several species of Xanthosoma, grown primarily for their corms and sometimes for their leaves. Most North American species of Araceae were historically used by Native Americans, as both food and medicine (T. Plowman 1969) . The family, is currently more valued for its many ornamental species , and is the most important family in North America for indoor foliage plants (T. B. Croat 1994) . Araceae commonly grown as ornamentals in American homes include species of Aglaonema (Chinese-evergreen), Anthurium, Caladium, Dieffenbachia (dumbcane), Epipremnum (golden pothos), Philodendron, Spathiphyllum, Syngonium, and Zantedeschia (calla-lily) .

Plants of some cultivated species of Araceae escape and may persist or naturalize , especially in warmer climates. One of these species, Colocasia esculenta, is widespread enough to warrant full inclusion in the flora, but other introduced species of Araceae are very local in occurrence. Uncommon species represented by herbarium specimens or literature reports as escaped or persisting from cultivation are listed (table 203.1) with distinguishing characteristics and areas of occurrence.[1]

Genus Alocasia

Characters as those of Colocasia but with the following differences: Plants with well developed elongated rootstocks , basal lobes of leaves acute and basal placentation . Ovules and seeds few.

c. 70 species, mainly Indomalayan. Represented in Pakistan by 1 cultivated species.[2]

Physical Description

Biology

Growth

Culture: Space 4-6' apart.

Soil: Minimum pH: 5.6 • Maximum pH: 7.8

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade.

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11. (map)

Taxonomy

Unambiguous Synonyms

1. Alocasia commutata Schott
2. Alocasia tonkinensis Engl.
3. Arum odoratum Heynh.
4. Arum odorum (Lindl.) Roxb.
5. Caladium odoratissimum K. Koch
6. Caladium odorum Lindl.
7. Colocasia odora (Lindl.) Brongn.

Notes

Publishing author : Brongn. Publication : in Nouv. Ann. Mus. Par. iii. (1834) 145. t. 7 Publishing author: Lindl. Publication: Bot. Reg. t. 641 Publishing author: Hort. ex K .Koch Publication: Berl. Allg. Gartenz. (1857) 20 Publishing author: Heynh. Publication: Nom. ii. 46 Publishing author: Engl. Publication: Pflanzenr. (Engler) Arac.-Colocas. 91 (1920) Publishing author: Schott Publication: in Oestr. Bot. Wochenbl. (1854) 409 Publishing author: Roxb. Publication: Hort. Bengal. 65; Fl. Ind. iii. 499 Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Govaerts R., 11-Nov-2003

Similar Species

Members of the genus Alocasia

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 230 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

A. acuminata · A. advincula (Batwing Alocasia) · A. aequiloba · A. affinis · A. 'African Queen' (Elephant Ear) · A. alba · A. amazonica (African Mask) · A. amazonica albo-variegata · A. 'Aquino' · A. argyrea · A. arifolia · A. atropurpurea · A. augustiana · A. aurea 'Mystic' (Elephant Ear) · A. bachii · A. balgooyi · A. bayeriana · A. beccarii · A. 'Blackie' · A. 'Black Stem' · A. boa · A. borneoensis · A. boyceana · A. brancifolia (Alocasia) · A. 'Brian Williams' (Alocasia) · A. brisbanensis (Cunjevoi) · A. cadieri · A. cadierii · A. 'Calidora' (Giant Elephant Ear) · A. calodora (Alocasia 'calidora') · A. celebica · A. chaii · A. chantrieri · A. chantrieriana · A. clypeolata · A. clypeolata 'Green Shield' (Green Shield Alocasia) · A. cochinchinensis · A. conspicua · A. coriacea · A. 'Corozon' (Dwarf Elephant Ear) · A. cucullata (Hooded Dwarf Elephant Ear) · A. culionensis · A. cuprea (Elephant's Ear Plant) · A. cuprea 'Blackie' · A. cuprea 'Greenback' · A. cuprea × A. longiloba · A. decipiens · A. decumbens · A. denudata · A. devansayana · A. 'Dewey's Reversa' (Alocasia) · A. 'Elaine' (Alocasia) · A. evrardii · A. fallax · A. 'Fantasy' (Elephant Ear) · A. flabellifera · A. flemingiana · A. fornicata · A. gageana (Dwarf Elephant Ear) · A. gaulainii · A. gibsonii · A. gigas · A. 'Golden Delicious' (Elephant Ear) · A. grandis 'Purple Prince' (Elephant Ear) · A. grata · A. 'Green Shield' · A. 'Green Velvet' · A. 'Green Velvet Variegated' · A. guttata 'Bullatta' (Alocasia) · A. hainanensis · A. hainanica · A. heterophylla · A. 'Hilo Beauty' (Alocasia) · A. hollrungii · A. hypnosa · A. indica · A. indica 'Uhinckii' · A. indica var. Metallica · A. infernalis · A. inornata · A. 'Insinuata' (Elephant Ear) · A. kerchovei · A. kerinciensis · A. korthalsii · A. lancifolia · A. lauterbachiana · A. lecomtei · A. leopoldii · A. lindeni · A. longiloba (Elephant Ear) · A. longiloba 'Argentea' · A. longiloba korthalsii · A. longiloba lowii · A. longiloba 'Magnifica' (Elephant Ear) · A. longiloba 'Thibautians' · A. lowii · A. lowii 'Argentea' (Elephant Ear) · A. lowii Hook.f. var. grandis hort. ex Nichols. · A. macorrhiza · A. macrorhiza

More Info

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Further Reading

• Atti della Societtaliana di scienze naturali. Milano: 1860-1895. ITA url p. 225, p. 329.
• Botanisches Zentralblatt; referierendes Organ für das Gesamtgebiet der Botanik. Jena [etc.]G. Fischer [etc.] GER url p. 1467, p. 282, p. 285, p. 317, p. 318, p. 418.
• Compte rendu / Association franaise pour l'avancement des sciences. Paris, Secretariat de lAssociation. FRE url p. 186.
• Comptes rendus hebdomadaires des s©ances de l'Acad©mie des sciences. Paris: publi©s avec le concours du Centre national de la recherche scientifique par MM. les secr©taires perp©tuels: -1965. FRE url p. 1291.
• Die Gartenwelt. Berlin: G. Schmidt, [1897- GER url p. 3.
• Hamburger Garten- und Blumenzeitung. Hamburg: R. Kittler, 1852-1890. GER url p. 278, p. 371, p. 406, p. 506.
• Journal de la Société centrale d'horticulture de France. Paris: Au siége de la Société, 1871-1883. FRE url p. 775.
• Journal de la Société nationale d'horticulture de France. Paris: Au siége de la Société, 1886-1927. FRE url p. 303.
• Judd, W.S., Campbell, C.S., Kellog, E.A. and Donoghue, M.J. (2002): Plant Systematics: a phylogenetic approach, Sinauer, Sunderland, Mass.
• Just's botanischer jahresbericht. Systematisch geordnetes repertorium der botanischen literatur aller länder. Berlin, Gebr. Borntraeger, 1874-98; GER url p. 384, p. 45, p. 557.
• The Journal of horticulture, cottage gardener and country gentlemen. London: George W. Johnson and Robert Hogg, 1861-1877. ENG url p. 404.
• The Journal of the College of Science, Imperial University of Tokyo, Japan = Tokyo Teikoku Daigaku kiyo. Rika. Tokyo, Japan: The University, 1898-1925. ENG url p. 458.
• Bown, D. 1988. Aroids: Plants of the Arum Family. Portland.
• Grayum, M. H. 1990. Evolution and phylogeny of the Araceae. Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 77: 628--697.
• Lampe, K. F. and M. A. McCann. 1985. AMA Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants. Chicago.
• Mayo, S. J., J. Bogner, and P. C. Boyce. 1997. The Genera of Araceae. 1 vol. + laser disc. [London.]
• Mulligan, G. A. and D. B. Munro. 1990. Poisonous Plants of Canada. Ottawa, Canada.
• Perkins, K. D. and W. W. Payne. 1978. Guide to the Poisonous and Irritant Plants of Florida. Gainesville, Florida.
• Plowman, T. 1969. Folk uses of New World aroids. Econ. Bot. 23: 97--122.
• Thompson, S. A. 1995. Systematics and Biology of the Araceae and Acoraceae of Temperate North America. Ph.D. dissertation. University of Illinois. Add Urbana-Champaign.
• Wilson, K. A. 1960. The genera of the Arales in the southeastern United States. J. Arnold Arbor. 41: 47--72.

Notes

Contributors

• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2006. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed October 4, 2006.
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2007. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed March 23, 2007.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 01, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 4 providers.
• Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
• The International Plant Names Index. Accessed Jan 19, 2007.
• World Checklist of Selected Plant FamiliesFeb 2, 2006.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 01, 2008:

• Missouri Botanical Garden
• National Herbarium of New South Wales: NSW herbarium collection
• Taiwan Biodiversity Information Facility: Magnoliophyta
• USDA PLANTS: USDA PLANTS Database

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 3489153
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Kew-6798
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:84216-1
• International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 84216-1
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 711148

Footnotes

1. Sue A. Thompson "Araceae". in Flora of North America Vol. 22. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
2. "Alocasia". in Flora of Pakistan Page 7. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]

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