| Life form | Grassy, there are both undersized and giant species |
| Family | Araceae |
| Names-synonyms | In the literature the following names Alokaziya, related to its appearance: “Elephant ear” (Elephant’s ear plant), “African Mask” (African mask plant), Chris plant (Kris plant). |
| Origin and distribution | Southeast Asia (Indochina, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia). There are over 50 cultivated species, as well as hybrids and forms suitable for room keeping. |
| Ease of cultivation | The plant does not require much effort. Suitable for beginners florists. |
| Dimensions | In the premises, the dimensions vary between 80 cm and 1.5 m in height and width. Under natural conditions, it grows to a height of 3 m, and the surface area of the sheet may reach 1 square meters. |
| Growth rate | The plant usually forms several new leaves a year. Young leaves are small, each subsequent leaf grows larger than the previous one. |
| Lifespan | An average of 1-2 years in an apartment. Under optimal conditions, in the greenhouse – up to 15 years. |
| Temperature | It is a heat-loving plant. In summer: 73,4-82,4 ° F, in winter: 64,4-68 ° F. The minimum winter temperature should not be below 60,8 ° F, otherwise the leaves begin to die. |
| Humidity | Good growth requires high humidity, up to 70-80%. In summer, spray at least 1 time per day, during the heating period, it is mandatory to keep the contents on a pallet with wet pebbles or expanded clay. |
| Lighting | In the summer, a dim, diffused light is better, avoiding direct sunlight reaching the plant.Suitable north, west and east window. In winter – the intensity of illumination is desirable to increase with the help of additional illumination by lamps. |
| The soil | Requirements to soil suitable slightly acidic, light fertile soil. To fill the flowerpot, you can use a mixture of sand, humus, peat and turf ground in a ratio of 1: 1: 1: 1 by volume.Drainage is mandatory. |
| Watering | The frequency of watering in the summer – 3-4 times a week, the land all the time should be moist, but not over-moistened; In winter it is enough to water 1-2 times a week. |
| How to fertilize | During the vegetation period, starting from May, every two weeks to introduce a liquid fertilizer, rich in potassium. Concentration of fertilizer should be reduced by half, in comparison with recommended. |
| Reproduction | It reproduces in late spring or summer by young offspring. Young plants are separated from motherboard with a sharp knife, planted to the same depth as that of the mother plant, not bury! Keep at 77-82,4 ° F under polyethylene in the absence of bright light. It is possible to breed tubers (more difficultly) or seeds. You can multiply eyes, carved from the flesh from the maternal trunk. |
| Bloom | Cob with a veil, blossoms mainly in the spring, flowers do not have a special aesthetic value. |
| Transfer | Carry out every year from March to May. Strongly overgrown plants are transplanted, combining transplantation with reproduction by dividing the bush. |
| Features of care | Heat and moisture-loving shade-tolerant plant. Instances with large leaves do not develop well on the balcony, they require a lot of space. With aging, the lower leaves die and the appearance becomes less attractive. |
| Possible problems in growing | In excess of the light, the leaves turn yellow and become stained, dry leaves dry the upper leaves, new small leaves with lack of nutrients and in cold air, pale leaves with insufficient lighting or top dressing. Affected spider mites, aphids, whitefly, mealybugs, thrips. |
| Air cleaning | According to some sources can be used to refresh the air in the premises. |
| Toxicity | All parts of the plant are poisonous to humans and domestic animals. The plant’s toxicity is due to the presence in the plant cells of calcium oxalate crystals, which have a strong irritating effect on the mucous membrane of the mouth and digestive tract. |
