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In my work, I'm always in search of plants with new, interesting and promising characteristics. One I found in 2008 is Alocasia hypnosa, a plant I had known of previously, but had thought difficult to grow and to find. Not only is this plant much easier to grow than I had thought, but it had several very intriguing characteristics. So intriguing, in fact, that I began to wonder where this plant really came from . . .
The enigma unfolds
This Spring, while in search of new candidates for my hybridization work, I happened upon a mail order nursery that had a plant they called Alocasia 'Maechang'. The picture on their website had a familiarity to it that I couldn't place immediately, but since it was unusual and didn't look like a plant I already had, I went ahead and ordered some of them.
The corms I received were of generous size and some were already beginning to sprout. One look at them and I felt that I had something new, so with anxious anticipation, I potted them up and waited for the day when leaves would unfurl. The wait was not long, and once I saw the first emerged leaves, I knew I had healthy and large specimens of the plant I knew of as Alocasia hypnosa. I had seen this plant before only once, and then as only a small specimen. I had never seen it bloom, but had been told that it was the only Alocasia species that produced underground runners or stolons. This type of growth I had not actually seen on one of these plants. After the first couple of leaves, I got my opportunity to see the blooms on this plant (see photo, left).
The scientific side
Alocasia hypnosa was described as a new species from Yunnan, China in 2005. The discovery was published in Ann. Bot. Fennici 42:395-398 by Yue-Hua Wang, Jian-Tao Yin, and Zai-Fu Xu. They describe the plant as being allied to A. odora, yet differing in several significant respects. In growing this plant myself, and observing the blooms up close and personal, I can state that those blooms are very unlike those found on my A. odora. In fact, I was struck by how similar they were to blooms I've seen on certain Colocasia species. Then, when I saw the stolons, or underground stems, that these plants produce, I realized another similarity between those and ones I've seen on other species of Colocasia. However, the defining discovery, for me, was when I found that the blooms produced no pollen at all. Without pollen, I could not even self the plant to see if it would come true from seed!
What this could be
My mind started working on this enigma of a plant, frustrated by the fact that I could not hybridize with it, yet fascinated by the apparent mix of Alocasia and Colocasia characteristics in one plant. The absence of pollen suggested to me the possibility that this was a natural hybrid between a species of Alocasia and a species of Colocasia. The description of the plant provided in the reference above mentioned the fruit or berries produced, but did not make mention of pollen. Also, I've seen some species of Colocasia exhibit seasonal dormancy when conditions became too dry for them to keep growing, but on return of wetter conditions, they would resprout from corms. This plant has that same characteristic, but even more so, going dormant in winter whether conditions are favorable or not. I consider this characteristic to be a plus for would-be tropical growers in northern zones, as they can have the tropical look of this plant in summer, then store it safely as a dormant corm in winter.
I haven't given up on this plant as a possible parent for some new and exciting hybrids. Perhaps next blooming season, I'll be able to find some pollen on one of the blooms . . .
If you wish to try growing Alocasia hypnosa, they can be obtained from Buried Treasures.
Photo credit: LariAnn Garner, Aroidia Research
About LariAnn Garner
LariAnn has been gardening and working with plants since her teenage years growing up in Maryland. Her intense interest in plants led her to college at the University of Florida, where she obtained her Bachelor's degree in Botany and Master of Agriculture in Plant Physiology. In the late 1970s she began hybridizing Alocasias, and that work has expanded to Philodendrons, Anthuriums, and Caladiums as well. She lives in south Florida with her partner and son and is research director at Aroidia Research, her privately funded organization devoted to the study and breeding of new, hardier, and more interesting aroid plants.
Posted by shadowpaige64507 (from Birmingham, AL) on July 14, 2008 at 11:56 AM:
I grew one this year and have had three blooms so far. None with pollen yet....:(
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Posted by Sharran (from Calvert City, KY) on July 14, 2008 at 05:06 PM:
Nice article, it will be interesting to see future results of your efforts.
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Posted by bwilliams (from Louisville, KY) on September 10, 2008 at 05:59 PM:
I believe it is a hybrid it looks to be Gigantea x Alocasia odora or maybe the other way around. I can say just by looking at the flower that it has some very distinct characteristics to gigantea. I have tried this cross before with no luck. Both pollen on gigantea and Odora. I am thinking this maybe formed from cryptic pollination. I would have liked to seen the inside of the flower to see how the female section was constructed. The spath shares a lot with gigantea with especially the odd way it cups up at the bottom of the spath. This is something I have only seen in Gigantea and no other plant. It is hard to describe exactly what I am talking about but the base of the spath will swell right above the female section and once it drops pollen. The pollen will fall into this swollen drooped section. This photo does not show the exact thing I am talking about but it seems to be in Lariann's flower as well as Gigantea. It seems to be more present the second and third day after pollen has dropped. I have seen some photos of hypnosa flowers and it looked very similar. I am wondering was their just one flower or did it produce a few after this?
Lariann on a bit of another note. I hate to get philosophical or open all kinds of cans of worms on here. But for me personally I find that if evolution was in play wouldn't this be very possible and easy to breed closely related plants such as Colocasias with Alocasias such as we are seeing here. The problem I see is that they all seem to be sterile or at least on the way to being sterile. I am having a hard time in some of my breeding with species in the same genus. It would seem that this should be very easy to do sense both are fertile and produce pollen. The fact is they will not work for what ever reason chromosomes or pollen structure. I am getting a bit frustrated with the whole thing and it has brought up more than just anger on why it will not work. I have to say on another note that I believe you were completely right when you said the forms that were formerly known as Xenophya would not breed with any other Alocasias. This seems to be the complete case. Have you figured out why they are not working and if this is the case. Should they still be considered Alocasias?
Here is the definition for species
Biology. the major subdivision of a genus or subgenus, regarded as the basic category of biological classification, composed of related individuals that resemble one another, are able to breed among themselves, but are not able to breed with members of another species.
I am finding other very well known and named aroids that are sterile and showing all signs of either a hybrid or tetriploid. This makes me wonder are some of these just ancient hybrids or are they mutated dead ends?
Sorry for the ear full. This should probably be put on aroid-l for others to comment. I think that when people like me and you have seen more than our fair share of plants and flowers that our ID may in fact be a bit better than most others. I think DNA would prove that you are correct that Alocasia hypnosa is in fact a ancient Alocasia x Colocasia hybrid.
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Posted by jeri11 (from Central, LA) on December 14, 2008 at 10:25 AM:
Interesting discovery!!!! I was lucky enough to purchase this plant 2 years ago from Chris. I brought 5 bulbs and they multiplied nicely in 1 year I probably had around 20 new bulbs.
The corms I received were of generous size and some were already beginning to sprout. One look at them and I felt that I had something new, so with anxious anticipation, I potted them up and waited for the day when leaves would unfurl. The wait was not long, and once I saw the first emerged leaves, I knew I had healthy and large specimens of the plant I knew of as Alocasia hypnosa. I had seen this plant before only once, and then as only a small specimen. I had never seen it bloom, but had been told that it was the only Alocasia species that produced underground runners or stolons. This type of growth I had not actually seen on one of these plants. After the first couple of leaves, I got my opportunity to see the blooms on this plant (see photo, left).
