Alocasia boa

Alocasia boa A.Hay is the accepted scientific name for this species. It was first described by Alistair Hay in Blumea in 1991.

The genus, Alocasia (Schott) G.Don, was named and described by George Don in Sweet’s Hortus Britannicus in 1839. They were first listed as Colocasia sect. Alocasia by Heinrich Wilhelm Schott in Meletemata Botanica in 1832.

As of 11-18-23 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online lists 88 species in the Alocasia genus. It is a member of the plant family Araceae with 142 genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made on POWO

I bought my Alocasia boa from Wellspring Gardens in the spring of 2012 as a starter plant. I liked its narrow arrow-shaped ruffled leaves and speckled petioles.

THERE ARE SEVERAL LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FR FURTHER READING.

It continued to do well and was growing many new leaves by the time the above photo was taken on June 11, 2012.

All seemed to be fine until, for no apparent reason, the Alocasia boa started declining and went completely dormant. I moved the pot next to the ‘Williams’ Banana in another area of the backyard. The next thing I knew, a new plant came up next to the dormant bulb (rhizome, tuber, whatever you want to call it). I never had an Alocasia produce an offset that soon before. The above photo is of the new offset taken on 8-12-12, #115-7.

The temps had started dropping toward the end of October so I moved the plants into the sunrooms, the den, the butler’s pantry, and the kitchen. I noticed Alocasia boa had another baby when I was taking photos on November 23 (2012).

<<<<2013>>>>

I moved back to the farm in mid-Missouri in February 2013 and took most of the Alocasia, including Alocasia boa. It didn’t like the 8-9 hour 30° F trip in the back of the trailer and soon voiced its opinion and went dormant. I have always said, “Just because it is dead doesn’t mean it is dead.” In July 2013, Alocasia boa proved that theory correct as many plants have done in the past.

By July 23, 2013, Alocasia boa is still hanging in there. Actually, there were two in this photo.

Next thing I know there were several Alocasia boa babies… I put them in a smaller pot.

Strangely enough, the little plants didn’t seem to want to grow. When temps got cooler I moved the Alocasia into the basement for the winter. Alocasia boa decided to go dormant AGAIN and did not return in 2014.

INTERESTING FACTS OR FICTION:

There seems to be some controversy about the growing zones and height of Alocasia boa. some websites say they grow to 4-6 feet, 2-4 feet, and Dave’s Garden says 18-24 inches. The USDA Zones they recommend are both 7b, 9-11, or 10a…

From my experience, Alocasia boa is cold-sensitive and probably should be treated as one that doesn’t like temps below 55 degrees. Its water requirements could be somewhat different as well. It may not like wet feet at a young age.

Someday I may try this species again. If you like a plant that you have difficulty with, you should not give up. Try getting them from a different source and see what happens. I did like this plant because of its very interesting leaves.

I hope you enjoyed this page and maybe found it useful. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, I would like to hear from you. Please click on “like” if you visited this page. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. 🙂 You can check out the links below for further reading. The links take you directly to the genus and species of this plant.

FOR FURTHER READING:
PLANTS OF THE WORLD ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
WIKIPEDIA
THE NATIONAL GARDENING ASSOCIATION
DAVE’S GARDEN
THE NATIONAL GARDENING ASSOCIATION