Hello there again! I hope this post finds you all well. When I was mowing on Monday I was stopped dead in my tracks. The new Leucocasia gigantea ‘Thailand Giant’ had done something very weird…
(UPDATE!!!! Ummm… I found out this plant is NOT a Leucocasia gigantea ‘Thailand Giant’. It is, in fact, a Xanthosoma robustum…)
Ummm…A VARIEGATED LEAF?!?!?! Its new leaf started emerging from the last petiole a while back showing no sign of it being weird. I am always anxious to see how big the next leaf will grow to. Each new leaf usually grows larger than the one before. While there are variegated cultivars of Alocasia and Colocasia, which I have never grown or seen in person, this is completely strange. I have never heard of a Leucocasia gigantea ‘Thailand Giant’ with variegated leaves.
Remember, Colocasia gigantea is now a synonym of Leucocasia gigantea. It is in a genus all by itself now… Testing showed this species is more closely related to Alocasia than Colocasia but it has several traits that separate it from both genera. Some information online suggests it may be a naturally occurring cross between Colocasia esculenta and Alocasia macrorrhizos. That would be strange because the way Leucocasia gigantea flowers is completely different than the other two.
The species was first named was Caladium giganteum by Carl (Karl) Ludwig von Blume in 1823. Then in 1857, Heinrich Wilhelm Schott named it Leucocasia gigantea. Joseph Dalton Hooker decided it should be Colocasia gigantea in 1893 and that’s what it remained until maybe 2016. Now it is back in its own genus AGAIN where Mr. Schott put it in 1857. Of course, most websites and sellers are still calling it Colocasia gigantea because they have no idea the name changed or they just don’t want to change it. Ummm… I just updated the Leucocasia gigantea ‘Thailand Giant’ page and had to change everywhere I had Colocasia to Leucocasia.
Although this plant is doing very well, it sure seems like it is growing slower than the one I had last year. Maybe I am just anxious. After all, it is just the end of July. Hopefully, someday I will have a 12′ Leucocasia gigantea ‘Thailand Giant’…
That’s it for now. Stay well, safe, amazing, and positive. Be thankful and count your blessings! And by all means, don’t forget to GET DIRTY!
The Belmont Rooster 
A mucilage-eating bug? The pale green reminds me of a pest I had, eating all the green part and leaving a pale leaf.
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Hello Vicki! I have never heard of such a critter. Very interesting. Thanks for the comment!
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It is always interesting when a plant does something unexpected. I wonder if it will throw out another variegated leaf?? I guess we will have to wait to see.
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Hello, Lisa! This is where a gardener has to be patient… What will the next one be like and what will happen as the leaf gets bigger? You never know what you will experience. Thanks for the comment!
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Perhaps you could name your new variety Leucocasia belmontus roosterus. That would be cool.
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Very good, Jim! I am pretty sure I am not the first with a variegated Leucocasia gigantea leaf. I just haven’t seen any reports of it. I will have to post this on the Facebook group to see what kind of a response I get. Thanks for the comment!
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Beautiful! I love those large leaves!
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Hello, Lacey! I really like their huge leaves and it is always fun to see how big the plants get by the end of the summer. The Colocasia grew HUGE last summer on the north side of the house. The largest they grew since I lived in Mississippi. Thanks for the comment!
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Such a beautiful plant, and as you say unusual, but pretty. 🙂
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Hello Sue! I always like big plants and when they do something weird it just makes gardening more interesting. You just never know… Thanks for the comment as always.
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My pleasure
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I just came across your blog and I am in love!! Any update on this guy? Did it continue to variegate?
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Hello Meghan! Well, I stored the rhizome in the basement over the winter and it was fine until about a month before ready to go back outside. Sadly, it rotted. I didn’t buy another Xanthosoma this spring but maybe I will in 2020. It was a beauty. You can click on the link below for its page. Take care and thanks for the comment!
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Hello Meghan! Well, I stored the rhizome in the basement over the winter and it was fine until about a month before ready to go back outside. Sadly, it rotted. I didn’t buy another Xanthosoma this spring but maybe I will in 2020. It was a beauty. Take care and thanks for the comment!
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