Alocasia
Alocasia × amazonica
Also called African mask, Elephant ear and Polly
Houseplant · AroidsDrops everything and sulks over winter. Often dormant, not dead — keep it barely damp.
Care at a glance
- Ease
- Very hard
- Water
- Every 6 daysDrench and drain — water the whole surface until it runs from the holes.
- Light
- Bright indirect
- Feed
- Every 30 days
- Humidity
- High
- Hardiness
- Tropical — indoors, warm RHS H1A, to 15°C
- Size
- 1.25 m tall · 1.25 m across
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Origin
- Cultivated hybrid
Is it safe for pets and people?
PetsToxic to pets
Affects dogs, cats, horses. Signs: an irritated, painful and swollen mouth, tongue and lips, heavy drooling, vomiting (not in horses) and trouble swallowing.
PeopleHarmful if eaten, and irritates skin
HandlingTake care handling it
RHS rates it TOXIC if eaten and a skin and eye irritant; wear gloves.
Checked against ASPCA and RHS on 2026-07-31.
A guide, not veterinary or medical advice. If a pet or a person has eaten a plant and you are worried, call your vet or doctor now — don’t wait for signs to appear. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
First signs of trouble
- Webbing strung between the leaf stalk and the leaf's back ribs, and the dark green goes flat and bronze-grey.Glasshouse red spider mite · pest
- Leaves go one at a time through autumn with no new one following, and the tuber under the compost stays firm — it is stopping, not dying.Dormancy mistaken for death · disorder