''Alocasia micholitziana'', commonly known as the green velvet taro or green velvet alocasia, 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 island 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 ...

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 ...

. It is commonly grown as an ornamental plant worldwide.

Taxonomy and etymology

The species was first described by

Henry Frederick Conrad Sander Henry Frederick Conrad Sander (Heinrich Friedrich Conrad Sander; 4 March 1847 in Bremen – 23 December 1920 in Bruges) was a German-born orchidologist and nurseryman who settled in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England and is noted for his monthly ...

in 1912. It is named after the German plant collector Wilhelm Micholitz.

Description

''Alocasia micholitziana'' grows to around tall. It has 4 to 7 leaves. The petioles are about long and are a mottled brownish, reddish, or purple in color. The leaf blades are a deep matte green in color with a velvety texture on the upper surface, and a paler green on the lower surface. They are sagittate (arrow-shaped) and are around long and wide. The leaf veins are white in color on the upper surface. The leaf margins are strongly to mildly undulate. It is shallowly

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 ...

. They can bear up to 4 flowers together, each around long. The

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 ...

is around and greenish in color. The spadix is shorter than the spathe and cream-colored. Alocasia micholitziana inflorescence

Distribution and habitat

''Alocasia micholitziana'' is

Apayao Apayao, officially the Province of Apayao ( ilo, Probinsia ti Apayao; fil, Lalawigan ng Apayao), is a landlocked Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Kabugao, Apayao, Kabuga ...

Benguet Benguet (), officially the Province of Benguet ('';'' ; pag, Luyag/Probinsia na Benguet; ilo, Probinsia ti Benguet; ), is a landlocked province of the Philippines located in the southern tip of the Cordillera Administrative Region in the islan ...

and

Ifugao Ifugao, officially the Province of Ifugao ( ilo, Probinsia ti Ifugao; tl, Lalawigan ng Ifugao), is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Lagawe and it borders Benguet to the wes ...

in northern

in the

. It grows in shady areas in damp lowland forests.

Uses

The plant is easily propagated by stem cuttings and seeds and is a popular ornamental in both the local and international markets. It has produced several

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

s, the most popular of which is ''Alocasia micholitziana'' 'Frydek'.

Conservation

''Alocasia micholitziana'' was formerly common in its native range but is now rare due to overcollection. It is classified as vulnerable in the wild by the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

. Harvesting wild specimens of ''A. micholitziana'' is illegal in the Philippines and is punishable with six to ten years imprisonment and a fine of ₱100,000 to ₱1,000,000.

References