Species · genus Alocasia · Araceae

Giant Taro

Alocasia macrorrhizos (L.) G.Don

Also known as: Ape · Cunjevoi · Giant Alocasia · Pai · Elephant's-ear Plant

Growth habit

subshrub or shrub

Native range

Bismarck Archipelago, Borneo, Maluku, New Guinea, Philippines, Queensland, Solomon Is., Sulawesi

Reference · A. macrorrhizos

Cultivars of A. macrorrhizos

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

No named cultivars catalogued under A. macrorrhizos 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.

A large tropical aroid from the humid understory and forest margins of Southeast Asia and the western Pacific, growing as a stout subshrub. It wants warmth, consistent humidity, and bright indirect light rather than direct sun, which can scorch its broad leaves. Water when the top inch of mix has dried, then water thoroughly; keep it evenly moist but never sitting wet, as the fleshy rootstock rots if waterlogged.

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

16–32 °C

Soil mix

Rich, well-draining mix with bark and perlite

Propagation

Divide the large rhizome offsets

Fertilizing

Balanced feed every few weeks while growing vigorously

Growth rate

Fast

Flowering

May bloom indoors with a pale green spathe; grown for size

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Toxic to cats & dogs & humans

Araceae contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which irritate the mouth and digestive tract if chewed. 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 Taro 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.