Alocasia Pollination Hybrid Experiment - Borneo Giant - Odora! - Rare & Exotic Alocasia Elephant Ear Plant for sale

Alocasia Seed Pollination

Since my enthusiasm for plants has grown, last year I finally began to try my hand at cross pollination and reproduction via seeds of certain alocasias to get true & stable, also different, new & unusual forms. Usually once a plant is hybridized, the seeds from the hybrid plant are not viable... not always, but most of the time this is true. It's generally easy to get them to flower, the hard part is to get the seeds pollinated! After a few tries, I was successful with these below last year and this year. In the wild, the flowers are mainly pollinated by certain beetles, bees and other insects from the rain forests. Since we don't have them naturally here in the United States, we just hope that the wind blows the right direction at the right time.

So far so good. You can tell that a seed pod has taken to the pollination efforts when it does not rot away after the bloom dies. If it did not take, then the pod will fall over, turn yellow and rot within a week or so after the flower is gone. After about 2 months of waiting, the pod will literally burst open exposing the new fresh seeds. That to me was amazing that i didnt need to know when they were ready. It naturally told me, my seeds are ready, pick and plant me. looks like someone placed a firecracker in the seed pod.

The great thing about seed grown aroids is that there is always a chance of a new plant that varies from the normal more so than from cloning via tissue culture. Mutations can and do occur in tissue culture as well, but are more apt to happen, be durable and stable in seed grown varieties. Once you get one, then it can be tissue cultured and appreciated by the masses. There is however a process that I am not sure if it practiced or not in realm of tissue culturing these types of ornamentals. It is called Genetically modified cloning. This is a strange idea from the gate and becomes more strange as it is proven to be successful. It is the taking a DNA gene from an entirely different organism and placing it into a plant gene to produce an enhanced version of the plant. The genes used are typically not from other plant species, but from mammal genes! That is the part that is remarkable. I know that seed companies are using this in the farming industry for food consumption and have been for years. It is practiced to make food plants more resistant to weather, pests and diseases. I don't know which foods are genetically enhanced, but personally I'd rather stick to the natural plant stock when it comes to food consumption. Now I'm curious and will have to research more about that. I think the FHIA Banana series might be that, but I am not certain. I know that they ARE grown for their resistance to yellow and black Sigatoka disease. I have read where they were working on the taste. The original commercially available banana is the Gros Michael. But it is reported to succumb to panama and Sigatoka fungi very easily. They were chosen in the early days of the past century for their extremly good flavor. So, it worth trying to grow them. I suppose if that method were practiced in cloning Alocasias, Xanthosomas or any other ornamental plant, they could probably come up with anything wild looking and appealing.

The top row of photos below these paragraphs are from this years pollination between two A. Macrorrhiza Borneo Giant plants. The bottom row & below are photos from my first hybrid Alocasia I successfully cross pollinated, but it is not ready for market & maybe never will be. They need time to see just what they will look like, how cold hardy, what the finished product will look like and how stable they are, etc. A couple are finally getting to some good size and should be very large in a couple months. I will show pics as they grow. Out of the 15 seedlings that lived, a few are beginning to look distinct from one another and I am hoping that they will have their place as a new plant in the vast horticulture world. Whether it catches on as a household favorite or not is moot at this point as I am satisfied with the results of this project simply because it was successful.

The most stable attributes so far are that the veins (leaf ribs) seem to be fewer with wider spaces between them than most (any that I know about) other large leafed Alocasia species and the edges are slightly undulate similar to the Borneo Giant. The variations are that some of the plants are larger than others of the same crossing by extreme sizes and some are growing extremely slower compared to the rest. Some have end lobes that meet sharply at the petiole and some are together 'lipped' or shelved away from it. A few are still only 6 inches tall and all have received the same care and light etc. Most of the larger ones have the striped stem variegation, but who knows if it will remain as the plants grow larger. Variegations in smaller or younger plants is normal for most alocasias, even ones that are cloned. I think though, that it is stable at least in the stems going by the current size of the plants and the amount of leaves they have each pushed out.

One of the plants that is still about 3 ft tall has very very light green stems and are closer to white than yellow in pigmentation. The smaller plants do not have this trait yet and look like most Alocasia seedlings (no noticeable differences in them except being extremely small and wide veined). I am anxious to see how large they all get by the winter 2005 and how well they will stand up to zone 8/9 weather. I will leave a few outside unprotected except for mulching and tree hammock covering from frost. A frost will melt just about any tropical plant's leaves. I have a feeling that in the next two years there will be more than a few new very large leafed, easy to grow, hardier Alocasia plants to choose from for your garden.


Seed Pod Just before Erupting Around 5pm	Seed Pod After Erupting 10pm	Seed Pod the Next Morning 7am	Seed Pod peeled itself open


1st Hybrid - Stem Variegation	1st Hybrid - Young Leaf	1st Hybrid Alocasia 3-30-05	David's 1st Hybrid 7-27-05


Seedlings w/ minor Variegation	4+ Feet Tall	More Stem Striation	More Mature

The hybrid cross is from two large growing, cold hardiest known types of Alocasia species and the leaves so far and the largest plants are almost 3 feet long and the overall height of the plant is about 5 feet (almost as tall as me with a new leaf unfurling). At first glance it resembles the newly introduced (2005) Alocasia Inoranta or Inornata (as I believe it to be the correct spelling), but this plant is from my Alocasia cross project and I have not seen the slightly variegated stripped stems on the A. Inornata that are being grown. Or on any other Alocasia plant at all. Also, the leaf end lobes where they meet the petioles are closed (or shelved as I call it) when young and looked very much like an Alocasia Odora until it finally grows larger reaching its next stage of life. The other difference from the Alocasia Inornata is that the Alocasia Inornata have a silvery, darker sheen to them until they grow a few leaves and these never had that on any of the plants. One extra trait that is noticed in my Alocasia 'x' is that the stems are almost white in certain light. As I watched them grow, different plants from the seedlings grew with more white than the others. As of summer 2007 I am noting that these withstood the last two winter's freezing temperatures with only tree hammock or shade cloth protection. I did of course bring a few inside just to make sure I didnt lose them. This has been my first and only attempt at crossing and was easy. Must've been beginner's luck. I'll find out next time I get the opportunity. The ones that were left directly to receive the frosts did of course get melted, but they all came back as soon as weather allowed. The ones covered by the trees that protected them from the frost did not die down. They just simply went dormant in growth. So this is a very hardy Alocasia. They should be ready in mid 2008 if life doesn't take a wrong turn.

2008 update - Over all: They turned out to be fast growing, cold hardy, wind resistant, not damaged by long bouts of rain, all green, but still showy with their lighter colored stems and prominent very light green to white stem petiole tips to the leaf and inner most parts. They sport thick, glossy, solid light green leaves that grow almost 3 feet long and 2 feet wide that become puckered with age having slightly wavy edges and fewer leaf veins than most other Alocasia species. The vein pattern does appear similar to the Alocasia Inornata in structure only. The color is definitely not the same. My hybrid x Alocasia plant turned out to be about as hardy as they come. When the thick leaves do get damaged (punctured or ripped etc), they get the orange colored 'scaring' on the upper side resembling that of Alocasia robusta. So far in none of the plants, the leaves do not grow fully upright, but are held securely by the rigid stems which are thick and strong enough to hold the heavy leaves level in mid air even through mild to moderate wind gusts without breaking. The petioles reach about 2-3 feet before the leaf begins on my Alocasia Hybrid. The remaining few I have are living in about 35-45% shade and may be the reason for the leaf spreads and half droop appearance. Or, it could just be an absolute attribute of the cross. I have not tried them in full sun yet. They have produced offsets next to the mother plants so it appears to be a clumping Alocasia plant.

Every plant so far has pushed out the long striated lighter pigmented colored striped stems. This seems to be unique and completely random to each plant. They have proved to be more resistant to windier conditions than other Alocasias. The undersides are coated with a whitish-glaucous powder that can be rubbed off when touched and wear off with age. All the plants are a light green Alocasia cross that is a little larger than a medium size and would be well suited for any landscape given placement and enough room to spread out. Utilizing the plants overall spread and space it has that "FULL" appeal and can be appreciated for the hardiness to the colder areas and rainy conditions. It is a very easy growing, hardy Alocasia that requires very little attention. So it can take much abuse as some were left to themselves this year forgotten about. I wanted to get a really nice photo this year, but I forgot about the acorn storms! Now, they have all been pelted and the only photo I could find was the one below on the far left that I took early in the 2008 growing season of a different seedling that was raised to adulthood of my Alocasia X. The rest are the best photos considering the time of year and the peltation from the acorns. But I especially wanted to get an image of the stripe on the stem. I was also able to get a clear contrast of the white stem color where it reaches the leaf and the overall spread. I measured and it is almost 6.5 feet across. It is growing phototrophic towards the North as this one lives crowded next to a Turkey Fig tree with a Camphor tree juvenile, sitting just about 10 feet from the edge of the large oak's dripline.


Different adult Alocasia X Early Season	Hybrid Leaf Underside	Hybrid Alocasia 6 ft Spread	Hybrid 2008 Stem Striation	White Petiole towards Leaf	Giant White Stripe on Stem

(2007 cont.) Cross pollinating to create a hybrid usually results in a few variants from the seedlings and one cross attempt may produce 5 or more different plants from the same seed pod. Very cool! The largest one has only grown about 10-12 leaves since germination. The seedlings grew through the winter (or survived only growing about one leaf every 3-4 weeks), but I have a feeling that a few of these are going to get very large by this winter 2005, time will tell. We certainly have the hot and humid conditions to provoke a plant to get to its potential. When the plants were smaller they all had a bit of variegation on the upper side of the leaves, either darker green or lighter green (some almost white) in irregular patterns or lighter yellowish in color, but nothing like an Alocasia Albo Macrorrhiza and the pigment never went all the way though the leaf. They finally outgrew this as many young variegated bananas do. Maybe it will come back, but I don't think so. These are one of a kind as far as I know. If anyone knows of a similar plant, please let me know, I'd like to compare notes. Contact us by clicking here.

There are many folks out there trying their hand at hybrid tropicals and introducing new plants into the world for all to enjoy. The horticulture world needs new plants. I am hoping for many more by next spring depending on the cooperation of the plant blooms, time and results in efforts. Some plants are very difficult to get to take to pollination efforts, some are very easy. At least that's my experience. The plant in the last photo cell (bottom row right) above is about 5 ft tall now. When that picture was taken (2nd row, 3rd thumbnail from left), it was about 2 feet tall in a one gallon.

There is a company in south Florida (Aroidia Research - LariAnn Garner) that crossed Alocasias and turned out two of the most popular hybrid varieties available on the market. They are the Alocasia x Calidora and the Alocasia x Portora. You can contact The Aroidia Research Institute directly by clicking here. I hope my efforts are included in the appreciation of adding at least one plant in the future to the horticulture world. If not, it's all good Fun!

I haven't had time since the kids came along to enjoy any more experiments. I have found that the largest of this experiment get to about 6 ft and have a very nice spread of equal size. The stems regularly do stripe lighter pigments, not white but not yellow. Almost a white-green color. They withstand the winters with ease and I would say probably be able to match any other cold tolerant Alocasia species. The leaves get very large and almost get that droopy, yet supported appearance to them. They have given birth to a few pups, but were keeping those for further research to study how they mutate if they do and into what, etc. Available Someday in the future maybe.

Alocasia Macrorrhiza Borneo Giant (var) - Zone 8b - 11 - Second Largest Undivided Leafed plant in the world. These were considered the largest until the Alocasia Robusta Sarawak were discovered a few years ago. They are upright leaves that grow to height of 15 feet and the stems can grow to 10 feet tall! Probably larger in warmer locations. They are fast reproducers, creating 'pups' around the base of the mother plant. When mature they have dark greenish blue leaves give yet another wonderful addition to your scene. Like most elephant ears, these love moist situations but can grow anywhere once established. They like partial shade but will grow strong in full sun if watered well. Fast growing and an excellent addition to your collection! Already at heights of about 2-3 feet tall. Only a few left until spring 2009.

These are excellent plants for someone that wants a hardy, low maintenance plant that grows VERY LARGE, in a short amount of time!

The center plant pictured below this paragraph is one of the parent Alocasia Giant plants. Surrounding them are about 5 different types of other large alocasias. When they flower, if you're lucky, another one will flower at the same time and is when the opportunity arises. You must seize that moment. The window for successful pollination is slim! I don't know if this happens for all, but with my plants... when they bloom, they seem to stop producing big leaves and the energy is focused on the seed pod. Fine with me as long as I get seeds otherwise I'm snipping off the bloom unless the plant is already at a size I'm satisfied with. These finally began to get large when they stopped flowering and now it seems that there is no stopping them! I hope. I want to see these dudes get HUGE this year. There is a fourth leaf now and ill wait until it gets above the other three and see what kind of pic we'll get from that. The middle leaf is well above our heads now and stands about 6+ feet tall.

They are getting about 4-5 hours of direct afternoon hot sun and are leaning in that direction since its shady above them and behind.

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