Alocasia ‘Stingray’

Background of Alocasia macrorrhizos ‘Stingray’

Alocasia macrorrhizos ‘Stingray’ is a form of Alocasia macrorrhizos, a species native to warm, rainy parts of the central Malay Archipelago, New Guinea and the western Pacific.

Alocasia ‘Stingray’: growing guide

• Light: Place ‘Stingray’ in strong indirect or bright filtered light, with gentle sun introduced only after gradual acclimation.
• Watering: A warm, actively growing ‘Stingray’ can be thirsty. Soak the root ball once the surface begins to lose moisture.
• Temperature: Maintain approximately 22–28°C; cooler conditions significantly reduce its growth rate.
• Humidity: Keep relative humidity comfortably above 60%, giving the broad tail-tipped leaves a stable atmosphere as they unfurl.
• Repotting: Choose a deep, stable container. Increase the pot gradually according to root growth.
• Feeding: Supply balanced nutrition during active leaf production.
• Substrate: Use a rich, moisture-retentive mix with bark and perlite or pumice.
• Propagation: Propagate from small corms, offsets or division of a mature rhizome. Keep newly separated sections warm until growth resumes.
• Handling safety: Before repotting or unpotting, disturbing the root ball, cutting, pruning, division or propagation, wear gloves and keep Alocasia sap away from skin and eyes. After handling, wash hands and clean tools.

A guide to problems with Alocasia ‘Stingray’

• A mark is dry and fixed or soft and enlarging: Prevent repeat contact and monitor a stable tear, crease or rub. A water-soaked mark that enlarges needs isolation, dry foliage and splash control. If one severely affected leaf must be removed, wear gloves and keep sap away from skin and eyes before cutting it with a disinfected tool; discard it, disinfect the tool again, then wash hands and clean tools. Recurrence, rapid spread or petiole or crown entry needs professional diagnosis.
• Emerging growth has silver scars and black dots, or leaves develop stippling and webbing: The first pattern supports thrips and the second mites. Isolate, inspect folded growth, undersides and junctions and rinse accessible pests. If signs continue, use a product labelled for the identified pest and indoor ornamentals at the label interval.
• A large leaf loses firmness: Check the root-ball centre. Water thoroughly and drain only when genuinely dry; if wet, stop watering, empty standing water and review drainage, light and cold. If decline persists, wear gloves and keep sap away from skin and eyes before unpotting; after handling, wash hands and clean tools. If the roots are firm, do not cut; correct drainage, aeration, pot fit, light or temperature and monitor. Remove only directly confirmed brown, black, mushy, hollow, slimy or collapsing tissue with disinfected tools, and use fresh airy medium in a clean draining pot sized to the surviving roots. Seek professional diagnosis before cutting a soft or unclear crown.
• The exposed side bleaches or browns, or tissue blackens after cold: Move the plant to bright filtered light or stable warmth according to the recent event, match watering to current uptake and postpone feeding or repotting until the damage stabilises. Existing damage remains, so judge later growth.

Alocasia ‘Stingray’: 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.

Why it is called ‘Stingray’

Macrorrhizos means “large-rooted”, from Greek makros, “large”, and rhiza, “root”. ‘Stingray’ is a mutant cultivar of Alocasia macrorrhizos named for the elongated leaf tip that gives the blade a stingray-like outline.

The cultivar was discovered in the Sarawak region, propagated in Thailand and reached the United States in the early 2000s.