Three Colorful Alocasias

Apr 04, 2025

Alocasia is the ornamental houseplant known as elephant’s ear, with large, showy leaves that are heart or arrowhead-shaped. It has a wide fan base and there’s a large collector community online, especially for the variegated cultivars. As we scrolled through Instagram recently we found some interesting specimens.

For example, take the galactic leaves on Alocasia Pink Bambino. They fan out to form a star with astronomical variegation in the @bowtiqueplants post from March 12. It looks like this plant was picked out of the universe just for us to admire. Maybe we’re a little spacey but it appears the variegation increases clockwise from the all-pink lower left point of the star. How did they do that?

Exotic looking Alocasia Melo Albo has striking variegation in shades of green and white—and a rare flower—in the @alltheplantys post from March 3rd. She asks if followers are cutting off flowers or letting them wilt. Some people do cut them and it’s not a bad idea—that way all the energy can flow into the colorful foliage variegation! On the energy note, alocasia prefers bright, indirect light and soil that is evenly moist, not soggy.

There’s a masterpiece of an Alocasia Watsoniana leaf in the @botanicallyinsane post from March 15th. According to Catherine, “it’s almost purple in the sunlight.” She’s enjoying it while it lasts, because plants have taught her “to be present in the moment and thankful for the current day.” We thank her for sharing this beautiful plant with us to enjoy! Just a reminder: alocasia prefers temps above 60F and grows best in a humid environment. 

If spider mites are troubling your alocasia plants we recommend Koppert Swirskii sachets for spider mite control/prevention, available from our website. The convenient little sachets can be hung from the plant or propped up in the pot so as not to interfere with the ornamental value of the foliage. Koppert sachets stay hard at work hidden in the background, acting as a pseudo birdhouse for predatory mites to proliferate, providing weeks of protection while your houseplants take the well-deserved spotlight.