General Information

COMMON NAMES: Giant Caladium GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE Borneo; EXOTIC pantropical COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Not naturalised; S.Group - uncommon; Land, lowlands, gardens SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Ornamental leaves KEY FEATURES: Taro-like herb to 1m. Leaves to 40x30cm, peltate, heart-shaped, basal lobes round and mainly fused, green with purplish sheen and black-green along sunken veins; stalk to 60cm. Flower a spathe to 15cm, green to red-purple.

Cook Islands Distribution

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Southern Group: Present    Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
++								-

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-			-

Alocasia cuprea (Koch & Bouche)
TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); LILIOPSIDA (=Monocotyledones); ARECIDAE; Arales; ARACEAE

IDENTIFICATION: Taro-like herb to 1m. LEAVES large, to 40x30cm, peltate, heart-shaped, basal lobes round and mainly fused, irridescent purple or coppery to green with black-green around the sunken veins; red-violet beneath; Stalk to 60cm. SPATHE to 15cm, tube green to red-purple, blade green.

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.155 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii
p.50 Royal Hort. Soc. Index of Garden Plants
p.88 Tropica

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD02

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