Alocasia cuprea 'Red Secret'

Natural habitat of Alocasia cuprea

‘Red Secret’ is a cultivar of Alocasia cuprea, a Bornean species found on humid rainforest slopes around sandstone, limestone and other mineral-rich rock. Its small roots occupy shallow pockets of organic matter between the rocks. At home, keep it warm and humid in filtered light. Use a fine, open mix with mineral material and keep it evenly moist.

How to care for Alocasia cuprea ‘Red Secret’

• Light: Place it in bright, filtered light. Gentle morning sun can suit an acclimated plant, but strong midday rays may bleach or scorch its metallic leaves.
• Watering: Water thoroughly when the top layer of substrate begins to dry and the mix below still feels lightly moist. Let the pot drain fully and empty any water from the outer pot.
• Humidity: Aim for relative humidity around 60–80%, especially as a new leaf expands.
• Airflow: Provide gentle air movement and allow wet foliage to dry promptly.
• Temperature: Keep it warm and stable, ideally at 22–28°C. Protect the pot from cold surfaces, draughts and abrupt temperature drops.
• Substrate: Use a fine, airy mix that stays evenly moist, such as coco fibre or peat blended with fine bark and pumice or perlite.
• Feeding: Apply a dilute complete fertiliser during active growth. Reduce feeding when leaf production slows and flush the substrate occasionally with plain water.
• Repotting: A shallow, close-fitting pot suits its compact root system. Repot during warm active growth, moving up by one modest size and keeping the rhizome at its existing depth.
• Propagation: Propagate from a basal shoot with its own roots or from a corm during warm active growth. Keep the new plant warm and lightly moist as its root system develops.

Troubleshooting Alocasia cuprea ‘Red Secret’

• Leaves become greener as they matureYoung leaves can be red on both sides before the upper surface develops its mature copper-green colour. This gradual change is normal when the leaf remains firm and glossy. Widespread yellowing, limp growth or a soft base points to a separate root or watering problem and warrants a check below the substrate.
• The plant droops although the substrate is dampAlocasia cuprea carries substantial leaves on a relatively modest root system, so an oversized pot may stay wet long enough for oxygen around the roots to fall. Check the moisture deep in the pot and inspect the roots if the wilt continues. Remove soft, dark or easily stripped roots and repot the firm root system into fresh, airy substrate in a closer-fitting pot.
• Raised bumps appear beneath the leavesTranslucent blisters that later become brown or corky are often oedema, caused when the roots absorb water faster than the leaves release it. Let the substrate lose some moisture before the next watering, keep the plant warm and provide gentle air movement. Flat spots that expand, soften or develop yellow margins need to be treated as a possible leaf-spot problem.
• Fine pale speckles spread across the metallic leavesClosely spaced pale dots or bronzing can indicate spider mites. Examine the undersides, veins and petiole junctions with a magnifying glass and tap a leaf over white paper to check for moving specks. Isolate the plant, rinse the foliage and apply a product labelled for mites on indoor ornamentals, repeating it at the label interval.

Alocasia cuprea ‘Red Secret’ is toxic to people and pets

• Keep this plant away from children, cats and dogs.
• Its leaves and stems contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which can irritate the mouth, throat, skin and eyes.
• Chewing may cause burning pain, drooling, swelling, vomiting or difficulty swallowing. Contact a veterinarian or medical professional after exposure, especially if swelling or breathing problems occur.

What does Alocasia cuprea mean, and who first published it?

Alocasia combines the Greek prefix a-, meaning “without” or “lacking”, with Colocasia, the name of a related aroid genus. Cuprea is Latin for “copper-coloured”, matching the metallic copper cast of the leaves.

The formal botanical citation is Alocasia (Schott) G.Don. George Don established the genus at that rank in 1839 in Hortus Britannicus, edition 3, page 631.

Karl Heinrich Emil Koch and Carl David Bouché first described it as Caladium cupreum in 1855 in Index Seminum of the Berlin Botanic Garden, volume 1854, issue appendix, page 6. Karl Heinrich Emil Koch later placed it in Alocasia as Alocasia cuprea in 1861 in Berliner Klinische Wochenschrift, volume 4, page 141.