Tropical Plant Database - Plant Details

This is a very beautiful and compact "Elephant Ear" which has upright or decumbent aerial stems. The plant develops a robust clump with large leaves up to about 12" long and 7" wide on upright green petioles. The heart-shaped leaves are very showy, glossy and dark green. The hooded flower is a spadix with a greenish spathe and is hidden below the leaf.
(Wagner,W.L., D.R. Herbst, and S.H. Sohmer. 1990. Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii.)

In some regions the corm is eaten to treat rheumatism, bodyaches and gout. Before it can be eaten the corm must be cooked thoroughly in order to break down the needle-like calcium oxalate crystals, which are present in the leaves, stem and corm. These crystals could be extremely irritating to the throat and mouth lining, causing burning and stinging sensation.
(Pradesh, Arunachal. 2003. Base Line Information on Medicinal Plants Conservation and Sustainable Utilization.)
(Krauss, Beatrice H. 1993. Plants in Hawaiian Culture.)

(Information for this species compiled and recorded by Camelia Cirnaru, NTBG Consultant.)

Alocasia cucullata is poisonous, as are other members of this genus because they contain needle-like calcium oxalate crystals. Chinese taro should not be confused with true taro, Colocasia esculenta, which is edible.

Chinese Taro occurs throughout Indochina, where it always seems to be associated with village habitations, temples, and other areas of human disturbance, suggesting it is probably a cultigen.

We currently have 5 herbarium specimens for Alocasia cucullata in our collection. Click on any specimen below to view the herbarium sheet data.

• 007908 - collected by Tim Flynn in 1990
• 049982 - collected by Hank Oppenheimer in 2005
• 092228 - collected by Michael J. Balick in 2018
• 091221 - collected by Natalia Tangalin in 2021
• 091220 - collected by Natalia Tangalin in 2021