Alocasia sanderiana
Alocasia sanderiana, commonly known as the kris plant or Sander's alocasia, is a plant in the family Araceae. It is endemic to Northern Mindanao in the Philippines, but is commonly grown as an ornamental plant worldwide. It is classified as critically endangered in the wild by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Etymology
The species is named after the botanist Henry Frederick Conrad Sander.Description
Alocasia sanderiana is also known as the kris plant because of the resemblance of its leaf edges to the wavy blade of the kalis sword. It is a tropical perennial, with upright leaves, usually growing to a height of 2 ft long.It usually has a single to a few leaves, interspersed with papery cataphylls. The leaves are a deep glossy dark green to blackish-green, often with large white to yellowish veins and margins. It has three to four primary veins, usually arranged opposite each other. The secondary veins emerge from the primary veins at a wide angle. The underside of the leaf is usually reddish to purple. The leaves are about 12–16 in long and 6–8 in wide. They are sagittate ranging from oblong-ovate to broadly lanceolate-ovate. The margins are deeply undulate to sub-pinnatifid.
It has creamy-white inflorescences that are about 6 in long, made of a green and white spathe that covers the tiny flowers. Female flowers are grouped at the lower part of the inflorescence, whereas the male flowers are at the top. The rhizome of A. sanderiana is vertically placed and is known as root stock. The fruits, orange-red berries, are not edible.
A. sanderiana can be distinguished from similar sympatric Alocasia species in that its leaves are peltate - the petiole is attached to the lower surface of the leaves, and the inner leaf margins of the lobes are fused at a width of or more. It can be distinguished from Alocasia micholitziana, in that the latter has leaves with a velvety texture that do not have cataphylls at the base.