Alocasia chaii 'Variegated'
Alocasia chaii P.C.Boyce · Chaii Variegated Alocasia
UK price
£80 to £300
Estimate
Price by size
- Sold, 90 days
- 0
- Middle half
- -
- Last sold
- -
- On record
- 0
Cutting/cormNone
7cmNone
12cmNone
MatureNone
- Sale
- Typical
- Middle half
- Estimate
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About Alocasia chaii 'Variegated'
Alocasia chaii 'Variegated' is a horticultural selection derived from Alocasia chaii, native to the humid tropical forests of Sabah, Borneo. This compact, self-heading plant has variable variegation that appears as sectors, splashes, and marbling in cream, soft pink, and pale yellow. Inheriting the terrestrial understory habits of its parent species, it produces broad, peltate leaves with a slightly bullate texture. As a mutation, each new leaf shows an unpredictable pattern.
Native range
Sabah, Borneo
Classification
- Genus
- Alocasia
- Family
- Araceae
- Type
- Variegated
- Growth habit
- Compact, self-heading
- Form of
- Alocasia chaii
Morphology
- Leaf shape
- Broad, peltate
- Leaf length
- 20-35 cm
- Leaf width
- 15-25 cm
- Petiole colour
- Light green
- Venation
- PinnateVeins or lobes arranged like a feather, branching out symmetrically on both sides of a single main central vein., prominent
- Texture
- Slightly bullate
- Variegation
- Sectoral, splashed, and marbled in cream, pink, and yellow
- Growth habit
- Self-heading
Recent UK sales
No UK eBay sales recorded for this plant yet.
For sale in the UK
Before you buy
- Check the corm is firm; a soft or shrunken corm indicates dehydration or rot and is very difficult to recover
- Verify there is at least one established leaf; avoid bare corms from unknown sellers unless you have experience germinating alocasia corms
- Spider mites are the most common pest: inspect leaf undersides for fine webbing or stippling, especially in dry indoor environments
- Alocasias can enter dormancy when stressed by shipping. A plant arriving with no leaves but a firm corm is not necessarily dead
Alocasia chaii 'Variegated' care
- Substrate
- Well-draining loamy mix: 40% potting compost, 30% perlite, 20% orchid bark, 10% worm castings. Alocasias need moisture retention unlike most aroids but still require good drainage.
- Watering
- Keep evenly moist during the growing season: never waterlogged, never bone dry. Check soil every 3–4 days in summer. Reduce significantly in winter when growth slows.
- Humidity
- 60–80%. Lower humidity causes brown leaf edges; very low humidity combined with dry compost will trigger dormancy.
- Feeding
- Balanced fertiliser at half strength every 2 weeks during spring and summer. Stop feeding in winter.
- Repotting
- Every 12–18 months in spring. Alocasias like being slightly snug in their pots, so don't overpot.
Common problems
Leaves yellowing and dropping
Cause: Overwatering, cold temperatures, or natural dormancy
Fix: Reduce watering; ensure temperatures stay above 16°C; dormancy is normal in winter
Brown leaf edges
Cause: Low humidity or irregular watering
Fix: Increase humidity and maintain consistent watering routine
Spider mites
Cause: Most common pest; thrive in hot, dry conditions
Fix: Mist regularly; treat with neem oil or insecticidal soap; increase humidity
Gear for this plant
- Flowers of Sulphur, 99.99% PurityDusted onto a fresh corm or rhizome cut to guard against rot before repotting.
- Precision Bonsai Pruning Scissors, 200mmFine-bladed snips for clean node cuts when taking a cutting.
- Digital Hygrometer & ThermometerLCD humidity and temperature gauge for checking a grow spot against a plant's target range.
How to propagate Alocasia chaii 'Variegated'
- Methods
- Offset (corm/pup), Corm division. Step-by-step guide
- Difficulty
- Easy. Forgiving of missed waterings, average home humidity, and imperfect light. A solid pick for beginners or low-fuss collections.
- Time to establish
- 3-6 months
- Notes
- Wait for the mother plant to produce corms or pups before dividing. Larger, well-established plants produce offsets most readily. Alocasias do not propagate reliably from stem cuttings.