Alocasia 'Yucatan Princess'

Dramatically dark green, glossy foliage with chocolate stems and reverse. A rarely seen and relatively new introduction that you simply must have!

Commonly known as Giant Taro, Giant Elephant Ear or Upright Elephant Ear, it is a rainforest plant that originates from S.E. Asia, they love humidity, good drainage and bright, indirect light. Water a little, often as they don’t like to sit in water but do like moist roots.

Size (HxW): 20-180cm x 20-180cm. Outdoors, in warm regions, they can grow much bigger. Increase the size of your pot gradually as the plant matures.

See the Light: Strong, indirect indoor light. Morning, rather than afternoon sun is ideal. If you have to turn the lights on to read during the day it is too dark. Also great in a shaded courtyard, or as an understory plant in frost free areas. In too much light the leaves will scorch.

Water Needs: Average water needs, water a little, often. Keep the soil just moist – not soggy – dip your finger in and when it is dry in the first cm or two then, add some water. In winter, you can pretty well just leave it to its own devices for two weeks before needing to refresh their reserves. They are native to S.E. Asia and love a bit of humidity. To achieve this, you could place them over a plate with rocks and water, which will naturally form humidity around the plant. Or if you want to get very fancy and grow a few of these tropical treats, a humidifier is a good investment. In a well ventilated room a quick spritz of the leaves helps the humidity levels, this is for the warm seasons only, in cool weather it is likely to do more harm than good. Another option is to grow them in a terrarium.

In cool climates it may go dormant over winter, let them be (no food or water) until they start to shoot again. If you don’t want this to happen keep it in a nice warm spot and add some humidity (16-30C).

I will Survive: Use a diluted liquid fertiliser in monthly in spring/summer when you water, just follow the directions on the pack. You will only need to repot if they are root bound, every few years. Wipe the leaves with a soft cloth to keep them free of dust.