Alocasia ‘Nairobi Nights’ variegata

Origin and background of Alocasia ‘Nairobi Nights’ variegata

Alocasia ‘Nairobi Nights’ is a garden hybrid of ‘Aurora’ and another Alocasia whose identity is unknown. The origin and ancestry of ‘Aurora’ are also unknown.

Care for Alocasia ‘Nairobi Nights’ variegata

• Light: Choose a bright position with filtered daylight and keep the leaves out of sustained hot sun.
• Watering: Water again when the upper part of the mix is partly dry, 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 fertile mix that remains loose and drains readily.
• Temperature: Keep it around 18–28 °C and away from cold windows or draughts. Move it away from cooler spots before temperatures fall below 15 °C.
• Humidity: Alocasia does best with medium to high humidity. Keep it in a bright spot away from heaters and air-conditioning. If the air is dry, place it near other houseplants that like similar conditions, leaving space between the leaves, or use a clean humidifier.

Problems you may see on Alocasia ‘Nairobi Nights’ variegata

• Cream, yellow or blush areas turn dry and brown: Pale tissue shows damage sooner than the greener parts of the leaf. Think about what changed before the browning appeared: strong direct sun, letting the pot dry too far or too much fertiliser can all damage the pale areas. If one of these matches what happened before the browning appeared, correct that first. The brown tissue will remain, so use the next variegated leaves to judge whether conditions have improved.
• Several leaves yellow while the plant begins to soften: Check the potting mix before watering again. If it is genuinely dry, water thoroughly. If the potting mix is still wet and the plant is getting weaker, look at the roots and base for signs of decay. If you find rot, our root-rot guide gives the recovery steps.
• Fresh leaves open with silver scars or black specks outside the normal colour pattern: Pale colour by itself is not a pest symptom. New scarring and black specks are much more useful clues. Check the newest folded growth for thrips. When you confirm them, keep the plant away from neighbouring plants and use a treatment labelled for thrips on indoor ornamental plants, repeating it according to the label. Our thrips guide covers identification and treatment.
• Pinprick speckles begin crossing both green and variegated areas: Check the leaf undersides and main veins for spider mites. Fine webbing or moving mites separate feeding damage from the plant's normal cream, yellow, pale-green and blush markings. Isolate an infested plant and use a treatment labelled for spider mites on indoor ornamental plants, repeating it according to the label.

Alocasia ‘Nairobi Nights’ variegata: 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.

The name ‘Aurora’ in Alocasia ‘Nairobi Nights’ variegata

The known parent ‘Aurora’ takes its name from the Latin word aurora, meaning “dawn”.