Why Plants Die
Theme

Alocasia portei

Alocasia portei, Araceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Alocasia portei (Alocasia portei), the whole plant.
David J, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Alocasia portei is toxic

  • Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Toxic to people. Harmful when eaten; irritates skin and eyes and can cause allergy. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it. RHS

What the sources say about its care

Light
Partial shade
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Water
Moist but well-drained
RHS · read 13 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 13 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 13 September 2026
Soil
Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Neutral
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Harmful to people
Harmful when eaten; irritates skin and eyes and can cause allergy. Use gloves and protective gear when handling it.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Watering
In the growing season, let the upper 5cm of compost get just dry, then water the compost thoroughly. Where tap water is hard, water with clean, room-temperature rainwater so the compost does not turn alkaline, which would in time become toxic to the plant. Do not leave plants standing in water for extended periods, as this can rot the roots.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Feeding
From April to September, the growing season, feed monthly with a liquid houseplant fertiliser. In winter growth slows greatly, so water may be needed less often; do not feed again until spring.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Repotting
Repot every 2 to 3 years.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
Once clumps form, divide them, or divide the rhizome and pot each section separately to root and grow on.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pruning
Pruning is not needed.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Mealybugs, glasshouse red spider mite and scale insects can attack it. Disease is uncommon.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

Loading the simulator. It needs JavaScript; the care table above does not.

About the plant

Alocasia portei is a species of flowering plant in the family Araceae, native to Luzon in the Philippines. With Alocasia odora it is the pollen parent of the large landscaping plant Alocasia × portora.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
Philippines (Luzon)
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Philippines
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Climate
wet tropical
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
subshrub or shrub
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Clump forming (evergreen)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 4-8 metres; spread 1.5-2.5 metres after 10–20 years
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers cream in summer; pink in summer
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Other Alocasia

More of the Araceae family

Plants with similar care

Sources

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.