Light
Bright indirect • approx. 10,000–20,000 lux
Araceae
Alocasia heterophylla
- Curated selection:
Every plant is hand‑picked for health and visual appeal, so you receive a strong, well‑established plant.
- Representative photos:
Product images show a typical plant of this variety. Natural differences in leaf number, shape or variegation are normal, your plant will still match in type and quality.
- Size details:
Listed sizes refer to pot diameter (cm) and approximate overall height (cm) from the base of the pot to the tallest leaf or stem.
- “Get What You See” items:
If you are buying the exact plant shown in the photos, this is clearly stated in the size section.
- Individual photos:
One‑off photos are only provided when this is explicitly mentioned in the size section. - For special traits or small quirks, please check the full product description.
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Your new plant has just travelled a long way and needs a calm start in its new home. For step-by-step unboxing and first-week care, check our after-delivery care guide. For deeper tips on how your plant settles in over the next weeks, read our houseplant acclimatization guide.
- Care basics , Main hub with links to all houseplant care guides.
- After delivery & first week , Unpacking, first placement, and early recovery.
- Light, How much light houseplants really need indoors.
- Watering , When to water and how to avoid root rot.
- Substrates & roots, Potting mixes and drainage for strong root systems.
- Humidity, When humidity matters and what actually helps.
- Fertilizing, Simple feeding routine without burning roots.
- Problems & pests, Yellow leaves, brown tips, bugs, and fixes that work.
- Semi-hydro, How to run low-maintenance mineral substrates.
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Alocasia heterophylla
Quick Care Guide
Watering
Water when ~20–35% dry
Substrate
Aerated • moisture-buffered • balanced organic + mineral • medium
Temperature
Ideal: 20–28 °C • Avoid below: 15 °C
Humidity
Humid 60–80 % +
Growth habit
Upright clumping herbaceous perennial.
Support
not needed
Growth speed
Average
Max size indoors
Max. height: 60 cm • Max. spread: 40 cm
Toxicity & safety
Toxic
Origin & habitat
Native to Philippines
Outdoor growing
Outside from 15 °C · sheltered spot
How to read these values
These care values are quick reference points for indoor growing. Use them as a guide, then adjust for pot size, substrate, temperature and how quickly the substrate dries.
For more detail, read the full product description or visit our Plant Care Guides.
- Light: level and approximate lux at leaf level.
- Watering: “% dry” shows how far the substrate should dry before watering again.
- Substrate: structure, drainage, moisture retention, base material and particle size.
- Temperature: “Ideal” shows the preferred range; “Avoid below” marks the cold-stress threshold.
- Humidity: target range; steady conditions usually matter more than exact numbers.
- Growth habit: how the plant grows, such as upright, climbing, trailing, clumping or rosette-forming.
- Support: whether a stake, pole or trellis is needed, optional or unnecessary.
- Growth speed: expected pace under suitable indoor conditions; use as a guide, not a promise.
- Max size indoors: realistic long-term indoor size under good conditions.
- Toxicity & safety: irritation, toxicity or physical hazards such as spines or bristles.
- Origin & habitat: native range, hybrid background or typical habitat where relevant.
- Outdoor growing: when a potted indoor plant can be placed outside and what outdoor protection it needs.
Alocasia heterophylla
Alocasia heterophylla is a small Philippine Alocasia with narrow green leaves that can change shape as the plant matures. New leaves can differ in width, lobing and attachment as the plant develops.
Indoors, it stays slim and upright, with narrow blades held on fine petioles from a creeping to slightly decumbent stem. It remains narrower than broad shield-leaved Alocasia species. Its narrow, changing leaves, plain green blades and compact upright habit make it distinct.
Changing narrow leaves
Leaves are usually narrow, hastate to sagittate, with pointed lobes and a long central blade. Mature plants may produce leaves where the petiole attaches slightly inside the blade, while other leaves may attach closer to the edge. This mix of peltate and non-peltate leaves is part of the species’ natural variation.
A mature leaf may also show a clear submarginal vein running just inside the leaf edge. The leaf usually has only a few main lateral veins, so the blade looks less heavily veined than many larger Alocasias.
- Leaf shape: narrow hastate to sagittate blades with variable attachment.
- Leaf detail: visible submarginal vein inside the leaf margin on mature foliage.
- Growth habit: compact plant with a creeping to decumbent stem.
- Petioles: slim and upright, keeping the plant vertical rather than spreading.
- Indoor size: small to medium, depending on warmth, light and root strength.
Philippine lowland forest species
Alocasia heterophylla is native to the Philippines, including Luzon, Mindanao and Polillo. It grows in warm, humid, filtered-light lowland dipterocarp rainforest.
Indoors, the root zone should stay lightly moist and open to air. Its compact base and narrow leaves prefer steady moisture with gentle drying between waterings.
Alocasia heterophylla care
- Light: Bright filtered light or gentle grow-light exposure helps petioles stay firm and leaves develop evenly.
- Watering: Water after the upper mix has dried back. Let excess water drain fully so the lower mix does not stay stale.
- Substrate: Use a fine-to-medium aroid mix with bark, coco husk, perlite or mineral granules and a moisture-holding base.
- Temperature: Steady warmth keeps the small root system active. Cool nights are more stressful when the mix is still moist.
- Humidity: Humidity above dry-room levels helps narrow leaves open with fewer wrinkles or dry edges.
- Feeding: Light diluted fertiliser is enough while new leaves are forming. Increase only when growth is clearly active.
- Pot choice: A modest pot helps the mix dry at a sensible pace around the compact root mass.
- Mineral substrates: Alocasia heterophylla can adapt to inert mineral or semi-hydro substrates after a careful transition with stable warmth and nutrition.
Leaf development indoors
Young plants, divisions and recovering plants often produce narrower, simpler leaves first. As the base strengthens, later leaves may become broader, more lobed or more clearly peltate.
Repot when roots have filled the current container or when the substrate no longer holds an open structure. During slower growth, the plant may hold the same leaves for longer while the pot dries more slowly.
Leaf and root stress signs
- Wrinkled emerging leaf: Low humidity, irregular watering, recent handling or cool roots can disturb soft new growth.
- Sudden yellowing: Check the lower mix and roots, especially after a recent watering.
- Weak petioles: Low light, tired substrate or root stress can reduce petiole strength.
- Crisp edges: Dry air, strong airflow or uneven watering often shows first on the narrow leaf edge.
- Small leaves: Common during recovery after division, transport, low light or root rebuilding.
- Pest damage: Mites and thrips can mark soft new growth, leaf undersides and the narrow blade edges.
Old leaves, divisions and inflorescences
Cut fully yellowed leaves close to the base once they have faded. Partly green leaves are worth keeping, because they continue feeding the plant. Old sheaths can be cleared once they loosen naturally, especially if moisture collects around the base.
For propagation, separate offsets or firm corms while the plant is actively growing. Young divisions restart best with warmth, a small pot and an open substrate. Mature plants can produce spathes and spadices, followed by small infructescences when pollination occurs.
Oxalate crystals in Alocasia tissue
Alocasia heterophylla contains calcium oxalate crystals. Set it safely away from pets and small children, and use gloves during division if your skin reacts to Alocasia sap.
Different leaves in the name
The species name heterophylla means different leaves. It refers to the variable leaf shapes that can appear as the plant develops.
Plant names, growth habits, natural habitats and indoor care guidance are checked against trusted botanical, habitat and horticultural references before publication.View our plant care resources and references.
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Alocasia heterophylla
Sale price€16,25
FAQs about Alocasia heterophylla – changing leaf shapes, light level, and seasonal slowdown
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