Description

Native to northern New Guinea and the Bismark Archipelago, the Alocasia lauterbachiana is a member of the Alocasia family of plants, commonly known as Elephant Ear plants, that will make a big statement to your home.

Alocasias offer an immediate jungle vibe to your home, and have a nice compact growing habit. Alocasia plants will also produce babies around the edge that grow from little corms that can be split from the parent plant and potted on their own to expand your plant family. You may also find lots of yet unsprouted corms when you are repotting that you can have fun propagating.

The lauterbachiana, or commonly known as the purple sword alocasia, has long, wavy edged, sword-like leaves. The undersides of the leaves are a vibrant red, and the leaves grow on red stems. This is an easy to care for plant that adds excellent air purifying qualities to your home.

The Alocasia lauterbachiana loves…

• Bright indirect light

• The top inch of its soil to dry between waterings, but do not let the soil dry out completely as it will wilt

• Some humidity, so place it in a more humid part of your house like a kitchen or bathroom, or mist it regularly - keep away from radiators!

• Being fed once a month during spring and summer

Toxic to pets or humans if ingested

Tip

• If you can, use captured rainwater to water your plants. Some houseplants can be sensitive to the chlorine found in tap water.

• Alocasias can become dormant if it becomes too cold and dark. They do this by shedding their leaves and conserving their energy within their corm. Don’t panic if this happens as you can wake it up from its dormancy by placing it somewhere warm, increasing the amount of light it gets (e.g. using a grow light), and giving it a little drink. Keep these conditions going and you will see new growth start to appear.