Specimen
Habitat
MP-0017 / 0024 â Araceae
Alocasia odora (G.Lodd.) Spach
Kuwazu-imo (JP)
A shade-loving giant of ravines, with arrowhead leaves held erect and sap that irritates if eaten.
Distribution
Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan, southern China, mainland Southeast Asia and the Malay Archipelago.
Habitat
Shaded, humid ground at forest margins, in ravines and along streams.
Morphology
A large herb with a thick, erect rhizome and stout petioles up to 1 m or more. The leaf blades are large, sagittate-ovate, erect or ascending, with a prominent network of veins. The flower is a spadix enclosed by a spathe; the fruits are red berries.
Botanical notes
All parts contain needle-shaped crystals of calcium oxalate (raphides) and are irritant or toxic if eaten, which the Japanese name records (kuwazu = not eaten). The leaves are held erect and shed rainwater from their waxy surface.
References
Taxonomy and distribution follow Plants of the World Online (Kew), YList (Yonekura & Kajita) and regional floras; CITES Species+ for trade status. Descriptions are provisional and are revised as specimens are verified.