Alocasia × amazonica 'Venom'

Alocasia 'Venom' was discovered around 2019 by Mason Lee of Mason Plants in South Korea as a spontaneous mutation of Alocasia amazonica, itself a hybrid of A. sanderiana and A. longiloba 'Watsoniana' developed at Amazon Nursery in Miami in the 1950s. Venom was not a deliberate cross but a chance mutation, which Mason Lee recognized as something distinct enough to name and cultivate separately. The name refers to the most immediately distinctive feature of the plant: the elongated leaf tip that tapers into a narrow, curling, fang-like extension unlike anything else in the Amazonica lineage. Beyond the distinctive tip, Venom has a character all its own. The leaves are shield-shaped with softly undulating margins and pronounced raised venation. Juvenile leaves emerge darker green, but as the plant matures the foliage develops a pale, matte, silvery-green finish that holds consistently rather than deepening with age. The veins appear slightly lighter than the surrounding tissue, creating subtle contrast rather than the heavy white-on-dark pattern of its Amazonica relatives. The overall effect is quieter and more refined than Polly or Bambino, but the leaf form is genuinely singular. Venom is a slow-to-moderate grower and expects 6–10 weeks between new leaf flushes during the active season, which is normal for the cultivar and not a sign of poor conditions.

Origin

No wild native range: bred by Mason Plants in South Korea (2019), a colour mutation from Alocasia × amazonica, itself a horticultural hybrid with no native range of its own.

Classification

Genus

Alocasia

Family

Araceae

Type

Sport

Growth habit

Upright rhizomatous bush

Form of

Alocasia × amazonica

Morphology

Leaf shape

Shield-shaped with elongated, fang-like tip

Leaf length

30–45 cm

Leaf width

15–25 cm

Petiole colour

Green

Venation

Broad pale silver-white bands along the midrib and main lateral veins

Texture

Matte, frosted silvery-green with darker green between the vein bands

Variegation

None (spontaneous mutation)

Growth habit

Upright rhizomatous