Alocasia sarawakensis 'Dark'

Just when you think you've seen it all, you find something really stunning at an obscure nursery! I noticed a nursery that seemed to have a lot of Colocasias and Alocasias, so I stopped in. While browsing, I spotted this plant and said to myself, "What is THAT?" On close inspection, I realized it was unlike any colored Alocasia I was familiar with. The label read "Alocasia black stem" and I knew at once that this was not the black petioled Alocasia macrorrhizos, so what was it? My first impression was that it was a colored form of Alocasia alba, but still it wasn't quite right. So the only solution was to purchase one, bring it back to Aroidia Research and compare it to others I have.

Once I saw it next to Alocasia sarawakensis, I realized that the plants were morphologically the same with the exception of the dark coloration. That's why I titled this page "Alocasia sarawakensis 'Dark'; this plant appears to be a chimeric variegant whose coloration is similar to that of the Alocasia plumbea 'Nigra'.

We would be most grateful if anyone who sees these pictures can offer more conclusive identification for this wonderful specimen. Of course, when it blooms, well, you know what's going to happen!

We also have specimens of this plant in which the petioles are completely free of purplish color, being light green in color, while the undersides of the leaf blades are dark purple as in the specimen shown here. Click here to see an example. Interestingly, several pups in the same pot are like the specimen here with overall purplish coloration, bolstering my theory that this is a chimeric variegant.

The "regular" Alocasia sarawakensis is completely green in color, with not the slightest hint of color except some sparse purplish spotting on the lower portion of the spathes on the inflorescences and on the green petioles.