I live in an area officially identified as the largest man-made tropical forest in the world.9JOHANNE4SBURG, sOUTH aFRICA. In my court-yard I have an Allocasia macrorrihiza which to my amazement made 'flowers' this summer- It is amost cone shaped with dark red berries all over it- I tried searching for the flower in order to find out whether the berries can be eaten- which I suspect might be the case because birds already eaten all from the one 'flower'? which they could spot...can you elaborate on this... or do I have the wrong plant in my mind? The leaves definitely looks exactly like the allocasia macrorrihiza.

kind regards

emmi

Hi Emmi,

No, you're not mistaken. Alocasia, including A. macrorhizza species, indeed produces red berries that are grouped in a cone shape. However, they are toxic ! Even if birds eat them, don't even think about doing the same.

Did you notice the flower is fragrant ? I think berries are quit ornamental.

Dear Ginger St.

Thank you for the information- I did indeed taste on a small piece (actually tasty-but with burning sensation on tongue)..however of course i did not eat without knowing exactly what it is. Can you tell me how often these plants are flowering? I have plenty in my garden but this is the first time i saw it having flowers. I took some pictures which i will post as soon as i downloaded it.

regards

emmi

Emmi,

I grow my Alocasias (wentii, odora) indoors. In these conditions, they reliably flower each year. Outdoors, I couldn't say, but I guess the behaviour would be similar (in USDA zones 10+ / frost free climates).

Guess South Africa easily qualifies for these conditions. Keep us posted.