Alocasia ‘Silver Dragon’

Alocasia 'Silver Dragon' (Alocasia baginda) is a collector's plant that happens to suit a normal home. It stays around 45cm tall and 45cm wide, so it fits a shelf or a side table rather than taking over a room, and the thick silver-green leaves are veined in deep green like cracked stone. Slow growing and undemanding once you get the watering right.

Why you'll love it

• Foliage that does not need flowers. Heavily textured silver leaves with dark sunken veins. The flowers are insignificant and most growers remove them.
• It stays small. At roughly 45cm each way it holds its scale indefinitely, which is rare among alocasias.
• Slow growing, so it stays tidy. A new leaf every few weeks in the warm months means no constant repotting or staking.
• Humidity is an advantage. Bathrooms, kitchens and humid subtropical rooms suit it better than dry air does.

Where it works best

Indoors, anywhere in the country. Inside is where this plant belongs and where your climate stops mattering. Bright indirect light near an east facing window is the sweet spot, and a bathroom with a window suits it particularly well.

Pots and containers. A 150mm to 200mm pot with a chunky, free draining aroid mix is plenty. It prefers to be snug rather than swimming in soil.

Growing Alocasia 'Silver Dragon' in Australia

Position and climate. Bright indirect light, never direct sun through glass, which scorches the silver surface. It is frost tender and stops growing below about 15 degrees, so outdoor life is limited to tropical and subtropical gardens. In Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra and Hobart it is an indoor plant only.

Soil. A coarse aroid mix of bark, perlite and a little coco coir. Standard potting mix holds too much water around the tuber and is the usual cause of losses. The pot must have a working drainage hole.

Water and feed. Water when the top third of the mix is dry, then let it drain fully and empty the saucer. Overwatering shows up as yellowing lower leaves. Feed at half strength every four to six weeks through spring and summer, and not at all over winter.

Dormancy and pests. It often slows or drops leaves in winter. The tuber is alive, so keep it barely moist. Check the leaf undersides monthly for spider mite.

What to expect when it arrives

This variety is sold as tube stock, currently on backorder. A tube is a young plant with two or three established leaves and a developing tuber, not a full sized specimen. That is normal for a slow growing alocasia, and it is also why it is affordable: growers cannot rush this one.

It travels packed upright, and some leaf curl or a dropped leaf after transit is a transport response rather than a fault. Pot it up within a week, then look for the first new leaf in four to six weeks in warm weather. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Caring for elephant ear plants and other alocasias
• The light and watering mistakes behind most indoor losses
• Browse the wider indoor plant range
• Plants suited to balconies and courtyards

Common questions

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

No. Like all alocasias the leaves and stems contain insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which cause mouth pain, drooling and vomiting if chewed. Keep it well above floor level in a home with pets that nibble foliage.

Why has it stopped growing over winter?

Cool temperatures and short days push it into partial dormancy, and losing a leaf or two is part of that. Cut the watering right back, stop feeding, and it will push new growth again in spring.

Can I grow it outside?

Only in tropical and subtropical gardens, in full shade or dappled light, and only where it never frosts. Everywhere else it lives indoors, or spends summer on a shaded verandah and winter inside.