Light
Bright indirect • approx. 10,000–20,000 lux
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Araceae
Alocasia macrorrhizos 'Flying Squid'
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- 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.
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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 macrorrhizos 'Flying Squid'
Quick Care Guide
Watering
Water when ~25–35% dry
Substrate
Fine open aroid mix with small bark, perlite and coir
Temperature
Ideal: 21–28 °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: 30 cm • Max. spread: 20 cm
Toxicity & safety
Toxic
Origin & habitat
Form of Alocasia macrorrhizos; species native from Central Malesia to Queensland
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 macrorrhizos 'Flying Squid'
Alocasia macrorrhizos 'Flying Squid' is a compact dwarf form with narrow upright petioles and tiny spear-like leaf tips. The plant forms a small base with thin upright stalks.
The reduced leaves are the normal growth form of this cultivar. 'Flying Squid' produces slim petioles that finish in small pointed tips or narrow pieces of leaf tissue.
Small blades and slower water use
Because the leaf surface is reduced, the plant uses water more slowly than broad-leaved Alocasia macrorrhizos forms. A pot that is too large can stay wet around the roots for too long, especially in cooler conditions or lower light.
New growth often appears as a fine spear before the petiole finishes extending. A settled plant may carry several slim upright petioles at once.
- Leaf form: tiny spear-like tips or strongly reduced blades.
- Petioles: thin, upright and slightly outward-arching.
- Base: compact, with narrow growth above the substrate.
- Water use: slower than broad-leaved giant taro forms.
- Care: warm roots, bright filtered light and a snug pot.
From the 'Plumbea' line
'Flying Squid' comes from the Alocasia macrorrhizos 'Plumbea' line, an old cultivated line of giant taro. This compact form has been grown since the late 2010s. It keeps the warm-rooted behaviour of the species in a much smaller plant.
Snug-pot care for 'Flying Squid'
- Pot size: Keep the pot close to the root mass. A snug pot helps the substrate dry more evenly.
- Watering: Let the pot lighten before watering again. Reduced leaves mean slower drying.
- Light: Give bright indirect light or soft filtered morning sun so new petioles rise firmly.
- Substrate: Use an open mix with bark, coco husk, perlite or mineral granules.
- Temperature: Keep the root area warm and stable. Cold damp mix quickly weakens this form.
- Humidity: Moderate to high humidity helps tiny leaf tips avoid drying.
- Feeding: Feed lightly during a growth phase. The small root system handles gentle nutrition best.
- Handling: Let soft new petioles firm up before moving the plant or working around the base.
- Mineral growing: Use mild nutrients and steady warmth while the plant adjusts to inert mineral or semi-hydro growing.
Base-level stress signs
- Soft petioles: Check root warmth, pot weight and recent watering.
- Yellowing stalks: Inspect the lower substrate and root condition.
- Dry spear tips: Review humidity, heat and fertiliser salt build-up.
- Leaning growth: Rotate gradually and keep light even around the pot.
- Very slow growth: Improve warmth and light before increasing water or fertiliser.
- Pests: Mealybugs, mites and thrips can hide around petiole bases and tiny leaf tips.
Division, flowering and safety
Propagate by division, offsets or firm rhizome sections during a clear growth phase. Small divisions need warmth, a modest pot and an open substrate while roots re-establish. Mature plants can flower with a spathe and spadix; indoors, its narrow petioles and tiny leaf tips define the plant.
The name 'Flying Squid' comes from the thin upright petioles and tiny pointed tips. The plant contains irritating calcium oxalate crystals, so keep it away from pets and young children and wear gloves when dividing or cutting.
Keep it warm and bright in a snug pot; the narrow petioles weaken quickly in cold, wet mix.
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.
FAQs about Alocasia macrorrhizos 'Flying Squid' – missing leaf blades, dwarf size, and room culture
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