Alocasia "Sarian"

Our first experience with this plant was when we saw it a little more than a year ago at Fairchild Tropical Garden, although it was listed in David Burnett's monograph, The Cultivated Alocasia. David provided very little information about the plant, however.

Some present this plant as the result of a hybridization between Alocasia zebrina and Alocasia micholitziana, but nowhere have we seen anyone ascribing this work to any particular person or organization.

This plant shows some similarities to the Alocasia "VangieGo" (i.e in inflorescence morphology and overall morphology), which inspires the question of whether these two plants have a like origin. One characteristic that A. "Sarian" has is that, unlike A. "VangieGo", the petioles on A. "Sarian" are much longer and narrower. Bringing these petioles in a bit would be one objective of further work with this plant.

Our 2005 work includes successful hybridization involving this plant as a pollen parent. We should be able to post pictures of the progeny in late summer or early fall 2005.