Alocasia villeneuvii

Alocasia villeneuvii is the first of the thick-leaved species that I had the opportunity to grow years ago. At that time I found out the hard way that this is one of the temperamental jewel types of Alocasia, as after a drenching rainstorm, I promptly lost all my beautiful specimens, even one beginning to bloom! This plant will not tolerate being too moist, and it is more difficult to grow to maturity than many others of the jewel types. In fact, the plant illustrated here has since perished due to root rot.

The unique maroon spotting pattern can be seen clearly on the abaxial surface of this leaf of A. villeneuvii.