Alocasia ‘Jacklyn Ghost’ (‘Mint’)

Background of Alocasia ‘Jacklyn Ghost’ (‘Mint’)

‘Jacklyn Ghost’ (‘Mint’) is a pale form of Alocasia tandurusa. The species comes from wet lower mountain forest in northern Sulawesi, where the canopy provides filtered light and the ground receives regular moisture.

Growing Alocasia ‘Jacklyn Ghost’ (‘Mint’)

• Watering: Let the upper part of the mix partly dry after watering, then water again before the potting mix dries all the way through. Water until excess runs from the drainage holes. Let the pot drain, then empty any water left in the saucer or cover pot.
• Potting mix: Use a loose, rich potting mix that holds some moisture while draining freely.
• Light: Soft filtered light suits ‘Jacklyn Ghost’; keep it out of prolonged strong sun.
• Temperature: Keep it around 18–27 °C and away from cold windows or draughts. Move it away from cooler spots before temperatures fall below 15 °C.
• Humidity: Aim for at least 60% relative humidity for ‘Jacklyn Ghost’.

Troubleshooting Alocasia ‘Jacklyn Ghost’ (‘Mint’)

• Mint or cream areas become tan and crisp: Damage confined mainly to the palest tissue often points to harsh direct sun or a severe dry spell rather than a problem with the green sections. Move the plant into bright filtered light and avoid abrupt swings between very wet and very dry. The affected areas will stay visible; use new growth to judge whether conditions have improved.
• Fresh leaves develop silver scars or tiny black dots outside the normal mint pattern: Look for thrips on the newest growth. Colour alone is not enough to diagnose them; new surface damage, black specks or visible insects are much stronger clues. Isolate an infested plant and use a treatment labelled for thrips on indoor ornamental plants, repeating it according to the label. Our thrips guide covers identification and treatment in more detail.
• Pinprick speckles spread through both pale and green parts of the leaf: That pattern deserves a close look underneath the foliage. Fine webbing or moving mites around the veins confirms spider mites and separates their feeding damage from the plant's normal marbling. Move the plant away from neighbouring plants and follow our spider-mite guide for treatment and repeat checks.

Alocasia ‘Jacklyn Ghost’ (‘Mint’): toxic if chewed

• Pets: This Alocasia is toxic to cats and dogs. Keep the plant and any cut pieces where pets cannot chew them.
• Children and handling: Keep it out of reach of children. Sap from damaged tissue can irritate skin and eyes, so wash your hands after pruning and avoid touching your face.
• Why it irritates: Alocasia tissue contains insoluble calcium oxalate crystals. Chewing or contact with sensitive tissue can cause immediate local irritation.
• Possible symptoms: Mouth exposure can cause burning pain, drooling, swelling, nausea or vomiting, and difficulty swallowing.
• After exposure: For a pet, contact a veterinarian. For a person, remove any plant material from the mouth and rinse with water; seek medical or poison-control advice if symptoms are significant. Breathing difficulty or rapidly increasing swelling needs urgent medical attention.

What tandurusa and ‘Jacklyn’ mean in ‘Jacklyn Ghost’ (‘Mint’)

Tandurusa comes from Indonesian tanduk rusa, “deer antlers”, referring to the deeply divided, hairy blades. ‘Jacklyn’ developed from ‘Jacklin’, the spelling used when Enjie Jacklin of Gorontalo popularised the plant online.

The plant underlying ‘Jacklyn Ghost’ (‘Mint’) is Alocasia tandurusa. Aditya Prameswara and Alistair Hay described the species in 2023 in Aroideana, volume 46(2), page 388.