Species · genus Alocasia · Araceae

Giant Caladium

Alocasia cuprea (H.Low ex Sankey) K.Koch

Growth habit

subshrub

Native range

Borneo

Reference · A. cuprea

Cultivars of A. cuprea

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under A. cuprea yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

Alocasia cuprea is an understory aroid from the humid forests of Borneo, growing as a low subshrub from a water-storing rhizome. It wants warmth, steady humidity, and bright indirect light rather than direct sun, which can scorch its metallic leaves. Let the top inch or two of the mix dry before watering, as the rhizome rots if left sitting wet.

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 10 days

Humidity

High

Temperature

18–29 °C

Soil mix

Chunky, airy aroid mix that drains fast

Propagation

Divide rhizome offsets when repotting

Fertilizing

Dilute balanced feed monthly through the growing season

Growth rate

Slow

Flowering

Rarely flowers indoors; prized for metallic leaves

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Toxic to cats & dogs & humans

Araceae contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which irritate the mouth and digestive tract if chewed or ingested. This is where toxicity lives: every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

Add images

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 5-10d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (family inference)

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Giant Caladium yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.