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  4. Alocasia brisbanensis

Alocasia brisbanensis

Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile.<br>Photographer: John Sawyer, Date taken: 01/05/2010, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Alocasia brisbanensis.<br>Photographer: John Smith-Dodsworth, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Alocasia brisbanensis.<br>Photographer: John Smith-Dodsworth, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.
Colocasia esculenta.<br>Photographer: Richard Hursthouse, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>.
Colocasia esculenta.<br>Photographer: Richard Hursthouse, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>.
Hutt River Trail near Belmont, Lower Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 27/03/2011, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Hutt River Trail near Belmont, Lower Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 27/03/2011, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
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Skull and crossbones

Poisonous plant

Common name

elephant’s ears, aroid lily

Family

Araceae

Authority

Alocasia brisbanensis (F.M.Bailey) Domin

Flora category

Vascular – Exotic

Structural class

Herbs - Monocots

NVS code

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

ALOBRI

Habitat

Wetlands, streamsides, river systems, heavily disturbed shrubland and forest, damp frost-free open areas, regenerating ex-pasture.

Features

A large perennial with stems growing along the soil surface over 50cm long; dense stands 1-2m tall are formed; mature plants have 4-5 arrow-shaped leaves 75x50 cm; numerous small, creamy, fragrant, flowers crowd a stalk which is surrounded by a pale green sheath; fruit (1cm diameter) are red and fleshy and clustered on the flower stalk (West, 1996).

Similar taxa

Often confused with taro, Colocasia esculenta. Alocasia is easily separated as the petiole attaches to the base of the leaf, the petiole attaches to the under surface of the leaf in Colocasia esculenta.

Flowering

January, February, March, April

Flower colours

Cream

Fruiting

Sept

Year naturalised

1867

Origin

Celon? or Tahiti? Native in E. Australia, Tropical Asia

Etymology

alocasia: From the Greek a- ‘without’ or ‘lacking’ and locasia ‘lotus root’, refers to its similarity to Colocasia.

Reason For Introduction
Ornamental

Life Cycle Comments
Perennial. The leaves die back during spring and during this phase the stalks contain viscous fluid (West, 1996).

Reproduction
Seed is produced and vegetative reproduction will occur from fragments.

Dispersal
Birds (West, 1996).

Poisonous plant:
Toxins in the tubers and rhizomes but can be removed through cooking.

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