Alocasia Species, Elephant Ear, Jewel Alocasia

This plant is not Alocasia rugosa, it is correctly named Alocasia melo A.Hay, P.C.Boyce & K.M.Wong.

Here is the answer to ...Read Morewhere this incorrect name appears to have originated,

Pete Boyce and Alistair Hay are two of the three authors of the species Alocasia melo. I correspond regularly with Pete he just answered my note (12/26/10) with this response, "Apologies that we're a bit late replying, we spent the holidays in Brunei, returned back late last night. This is Alocasia melo. I have told Agri-Starts MANY times that the name rugosa is fictitious!"

Agri-Starts is a great company as well as a supporter of the IAS. They have made many plants easily available to growers at a low cost. However, they do have a tendency to use "made-up" names when the correct name is known to science. I suppose this is done in order to market the product. As a result, you are going to continue to see it sold as "Alocasia rugosa" but that is not what it truly is.

As for the name commonly found on the net Alocasia melo 'rugosa', that name is not a registered name, simply another made up name. Someone likely did that because they were trying to convey the correct name but included the fictitious name since many people already know the plant by the bad name.

In order to correctly use single quotes around a name the plant must be a registered cultivar and the International Aroid Society is the registry for aroids. As far as I can determine, no one has ever requested to register that name so it simply becomes a "common name".

Any grower is more than free to use any tag they wish on their plants, it is simply up to the grower to refer to any plant by any name they choose. But if you wish to be correct the name is correctly Alocasia melo A.Hay, P.C.Boyce & K.M.Wong.

The name "rugosa" for this plant should be thrown in the trash.

I suggest Dave (Metrosideros) make a notation on Plant Files so at least the public knows the truth.

Steve