Alocasia

What the sources say about its care

Sources file this plant under other names: Alocasia spp. (ASPCA, genus only). Citations below point at the name its source uses.

Light

Partial shade

RHS · read 11 September 2026

Water

Moist but well-drained

RHS · read 11 September 2026

Humidity

No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.

ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%

Penn State Extension · read 11 September 2026

Temperature

How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.

H1A — warmer than 15°C 15 °C

RHS · read 11 September 2026

Soil

Loam; pH Acid or Neutral

RHS · read 11 September 2026

Toxic to cats

The plant holds insoluble calcium oxalate crystals. Biting into it hurts and irritates the mouth, the lips and tongue can swell, and an animal may drool heavily, vomit (horses excepted) and struggle to swallow.

ASPCA names the genus (Alocasia spp.), not the species.

ASPCA, filed as Alocasia spp. · read 11 September 2026

Toxic to dogs

The plant holds insoluble calcium oxalate crystals. Biting into it hurts and irritates the mouth, the lips and tongue can swell, and an animal may drool heavily, vomit (horses excepted) and struggle to swallow.

ASPCA names the genus (Alocasia spp.), not the species.

ASPCA, filed as Alocasia spp. · read 11 September 2026

Harmful to people

Toxic when eaten; irritates skin and eyes. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it.

RHS · read 11 September 2026

How it usually goes wrong

Brown brittle margins with a green centre

A narrow dry border on the alocasia, often with a faint yellow line against the healthy tissue. It appears on several leaves at once rather than spreading from one.

Transpiration rises as the air dries, and the tissue furthest from a vein loses first. Penn State Extension notes there is no single humidity figure that suits every indoor plant, which is why this site publishes a range rather than a number.

Telling it apart: What else in the room changed. Edges that browned when the radiators came on point at the air rather than at the watering.

Penn State ExtensionDiagnose brown tips and edges on this Alocasia

The crown leans hard toward the window

An alocasia reaches. Stems extend between leaves, and the newest growth is the palest thing on the plant while older leaves hold their colour.

Placed below what its source describes, the plant prioritises reaching over building. Longer stems and smaller leaves are that choice made visible.

Telling it apart: Measure the gap between the newest two leaves against an older pair. Reaching is a change in spacing, not only in shade.

RHSDiagnose leggy growth on this Alocasia

The crown yellows from below and the pot stays heavy

On an alocasia the yellowing climbs from below. Affected leaves feel limp rather than papery, and water sits in the saucer long after it drains through.

Roots sitting in water run out of oxygen, and the first sign above ground is the oldest leaves being given up. Its source describes moist but well-drained soil, which is air as much as water.

Telling it apart: Whether the drainage hole drips when the pot is tilted. Water still running out days later is the answer.

RHSDiagnose yellowing leaves on this Alocasia

Not sure which it is? Ask the diagnosis questions for Alocasia.

Routine care

Watering

From spring to autumn, water generously and feed every 2-3 weeks with a general liquid fertiliser. In winter, cut watering to a minimum and hold the temperature above 15°C.

RHS · read 6 October 2026

Feeding

From spring to autumn, water generously and feed every 2-3 weeks with a general liquid fertiliser.

RHS · read 6 October 2026

Propagation

Sow seed fresh from the plant at 73°F (23°C). Division works in spring or summer, and stem cuttings in spring.

RHS · read 6 October 2026

Pruning

Pruning is not needed.

RHS · read 6 October 2026

Pests and diseases

Can be troubled by mealybugs and greenhouse red spider mite. Diseases: usually none.

RHS · read 6 October 2026

Photographs

About the plant

Growth form

Bushy (evergreen)

RHS · read 6 October 2026

Size

Height 1-1.5 metres; spread 1-1.5 metres after 5–10 years

RHS · read 6 October 2026

Common problems with Alocasia

• Insects and residue

More of the Araceae family

• Arrowhead plantEdges of the leaf blades brown while the middle stays sound
• Calla lilyEdges of the leaves brown while the middle stays sound
• Chinese evergreenBleached, papery patches on the leaves nearest the glass
• Dumb caneLeaf tips go crisp and brown
• Elephant earCrisp margins that appear in winter
• Flamingo flowerBrown brittle margins with a green centre

Plants with similar care

• Moth orchidCrisp margins that appear in winter
• Nerve plantDry, curled edges on leaves near a heater
• Peacock plantLeaf tips go crisp and brown
• Prayer plantLeaf tips go crisp and brown
• Rex begoniaBrown brittle margins with a green centre
• Venus flytrapA thin dry rim that crumbles between the fingers

Sources

• ASPCA · read 11 September 2026
• Penn State Extension · read 11 September 2026
• RHS · read 6 October 2026
• Wikipedia · read 6 October 2026

What this does not cover

The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.

Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.

If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.