''Alocasia heterophylla'' is a plant in the family

Araceae The Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe (or leaf-like bract). Also ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to the islands of

Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...

, and Polillo in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

Description

''A. heterophylla'' grows to around tall. It usually bears around 3 to 5 leaves. The petiole is long. The leaves, like its specific name implies, are highly variable in shape, even in one individual. They are usually triangular, sagittate (arrow-shaped), to hastate (spear-shaped). The leaf attachment can be deeply

peltate The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...

(the inner margins of the back lobes are fused together behind the petiole attachment), shallowly peltate, or non-peltate. The leaves range in size from long. The leaf margins are entire or shallowly sinuate (wavy). ''A. heterophylla'' is very similar to '' Alocasia ramosii'' and '' Alocasia boyceana'', which are also endemic to the Philippines and are all grouped with ''A. heterophylla'' under the "Heterophylla Group" of the genus ''

Alocasia ''Alocasia'' is a genus of rhizomatous or tuberous, broad-leaved, perennial, flowering plants from the family Araceae. There are about 90 accepted species native to tropical and subtropical Asia and eastern Australia. Around the world, many growe ...

''. It can be distinguished from the other two by having fewer primary lateral veins (3 to 4) that curve towards the distal end of the leaf, the widely separated secondary veins, a gradually constricting

spathe In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...

, and a conspicuously broader submarginal vein at the leaf margins. Both ''A. ramosii'' and ''A. boyceana'' are also always non-peltate, while ''A. heterophylla'' can sometimes have peltate leaves in mature specimens.

Habitat

''Alocasia heterophylla'' are restricted to limestone-rich areas of the islands of

, and Polillo. They are usually found near beaches at elevations of

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

References

External links

How to Grow & Care For Alocasia Polly?
{{Taxonbar heterophylla Endemic flora of the Philippines Flora of Luzon Flora of Mindanao Garden plants of Asia House plants Plants described in 1908

Description

Habitat

See also

References

External links