Alocasia "Emerald Shield"

This hybrid Alocasia is one that we "resurrected" in Spring 2004 from pups that sprang up at the spot where the original seedlings had been planted in the ground. For many years we thought the plant had been lost, but it was waiting for us in dormant form right where we had planted it! The tentative grex name for this plant is Alocasia x albaeana.

We have recovered several of the original hybrid selections of this cross, but this one, in our opinion, has the roundest and most attractive leaves of them all. It has also bloomed for us (see inflorescences in the pictures); so far all crosses attempted using it as the ovule parent have failed. As far as we were able to determine, the inflorescences of this selection of Emerald Shield yield no pollen, so we cannot attempt the reciprocal cross.