=ALOCASIA= (from _a_, without, and _Colocasia_). Allied to _Colocasia_. ORD. _Aroideæ_. Stove plants of great beauty, often with large and handsomely variegated, usually peltate, leaves, and shortly petiolate glaucous spathes. They are not difficult to grow, with a strong moist heat, and an abundant supply of water to the roots. The soil should consist of fibrous peat, with a little light fibry loam, in large lumps; to this add a good proportion of sphagnum and lumps of charcoal, with plenty of silver sand. Keep the bulbs and soil raised well above the rim of the pots, and finish off with a surfacing of either sphagnum or cocoa-nut fibre. The latter will soon encourage new rootlets. Crock the pot quite two-thirds up with clean, broken potsherds. Water freely when in good growth, and give liquid manure once or twice a week through the growing season. Shade during bright sunshine in the spring and summer months. Increased by seeds and division of the stems or rhizome. Winter temperature, 60deg. to 65deg.; summer, 75deg. to 85deg. _See also_ =Caladium= and =Colocasia=.
=A. alba= (white). _fl._ white. _h._ 1-1/2ft. Java, 1854.
=A. amabilis= (lovely). Synonymous with _A. longiloba_.
=A. chelsonii= (Chelsea).* An interesting hybrid between _A. cuprea_ and _A. longiloba_. _l._ large, upper surface deep green, glossy and metallic, under side purplish, as in _A. cuprea_.
=A. cucullata= (hood-leaved). _fl._ green, whitish. Spring. _h._ 2ft. India, 1826.
=A. cuprea= (coppery).* _fl._, spathe purplish-red, with short lamina. _l._ cordate-ovate, peltate, deflexed, 12in. to 18in. long, rich bronze colour, purple beneath. _h._ 2ft. Borneo, 1860. SYNS. _A. metallica_, _Xanthosoma plumbea_.
=A. gigantea= (gigantic). Synonymous with _A. longiloba_.
=A. guttata= (spotted). _fl._, spathe white, spotted with purple. _l._ leafstalk also spotted. _h._ 2-1/2ft. Borneo, 1879.
=A. hybrida= (hybrid).* A cross between _A. Lowii_ and _A. cuprea_. _l._ elliptic in outline, with a very short acuminate point, and very slightly parted at the base, deep olive-tinted green on the upper surface, having stout, well-defined ribs, and the margin of an ivory white; dull purple at the back.
=A. illustris= (bright). _l._ ovate-sagittate, rich green, with olive-black patches, deflexed, 1-1/2ft. long. India, 1873.