Alocasia cucullata (Lour.) G.Don, Araceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 9 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Arum cucullatum Lour.; Caladium cucullatum (Lour.) Pers.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: jian wei yu

English: Buddha's hand, Chinese ape, Chinese taro

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Herbs, clumping, small to medium sized, somewhat robust, to 1 m, evergreen. Stems erect, hypogeal, basally much branched. Leaves many together; petiole weakly D-shaped in cross section, 25-30 (-80) cm, sheath reaching to ca. 1/2 way, margins membranous; leaf blade broadly ovate-cordate, 10-40 x 7-28 cm, base shallowly cordate, apex acute; primary veins 4 on each side, radiating from petiole, arching, interprimary veins not forming a collective vein. Inflorescences rarely produced, usually solitary, sometimes paired, among leaf bases, subtended by membranous cataphylls; peduncle 20-30 cm. Spathe green, 9-15 cm; proximal spathe 4-8 x ca. 2.5 cm; limb narrowly cymbiform, 5-10 x 3-5 cm. Spadix 8-14 cm; female zone cylindric, 1.5-2.5 cm x ca. 7 mm; sterile zone 2-3 cm x ca. 3 mm; male zone yellow, ca. 3.4 cm x 8 mm; appendix yellowish, narrowly conic, ca. 3.5 cm x 5 mm. Fruit rarely produced, a subglobose berry, 6-8 mm in diameter, ripening red"  (Flora of China online).

"Herb with erect stem 3-6 cm thick; petiole 20-85 cm long, with persistent sheath; leaf blade 8-30 x 6-35 cm, the posterior lobes fused; peduncle 25-30 cm long; spathe about 12 cm long, bluish green, the lower part persistent, the upper part arching forward, withering with age; spadix about 10 cm long, pistillate for 1.5-2.5 cm, the sterile interstice 2.5-3 cm, the staminate part 2.5-3.5 cm, bluish green, the appendix 2.5-3.5 cm, greenish, corrugated" (Smith, 1979; pp. 454-455).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, naturalized in the shady understory of forests (Staples et al., 2003; p. 8).

Propagation:  "Chinese taro suckers freely and can spread vegetatively in that manner. Even small pieces of stem, root, or rhizome in the soil are enough to give rise to new plants and the species appears to reach new localities through movement of soil by humans" (Staples et al., 2003; p. 8). The species may also occasionally spread by seed.

Native range:  Perhaps from China, known only from cultivation (Smith, 1979; pp. 454-455). China, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar; naturalized throughout southeast Asia (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Saipan	Saipan Island	introduced	Raulerson, L. (2006) (p. 16)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	‘Atiu Island	introduced invasive	McCormack, Gerald (2013)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Mangaia Island	introduced invasive	McCormack, Gerald (2013)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	introduced invasive	McCormack, Gerald (2013) Sparingly naturalized.
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) San Cristóbal Group	San Cristóbal Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Foundation (2008)
Federated States of Micronesia Kosrae Island	Kosrae Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy (2010) (p. 6)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Herrera, Katherine/Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy/Balick, Michael J. (2010) (p. 34) Naturalized
Fiji Fiji Islands	Vanua Levu Island	introduced invasive	Smith, Albert C. (1979) (pp. 454-455) Voucher cited: DA 16955 Sparingly escaped.
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Austral (Tubuai) Islands	Raivavae (Raevavae) Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Austral (Tubuai) Islands	Rimatara (Rimitara) Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Austral (Tubuai) Islands	Rurutu Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Raulerson, L. (2006) (p. 16)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Staples, George W./Imada, Clyde T./Herbst, Derral R. (2003) (p. 8) Voucher cited: C. Imada 2001-20 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive	Staples, George W./Imada, Clyde T./Herbst, Derral R. (2003) (p. 8) East Maui. Voucher cited: R. Hobdy 2490 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Moloka‘i Island	introduced invasive	Oppenheimer, Hank (2007) (p. 18) Voucher cited: Oppenheimer H80502 (BISH, PTBG)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Imada, Clyde (2007) (p. 35) Voucher cited: G. Staples 1223 (BISH)
Japan (offshore islands) Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands	Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	introduced	Kato, Hidetoshi (2007)
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Kwajalein (Kuwajleen) Atoll	introduced cultivated	Whistler, W. A./Steele, O. (1999) (p. 103)
Marshall Islands Ratak Chain	Majuro (Mãjro) Atoll	introduced cultivated	Vander Velde, Nancy (2003) (p. 25) "Planted ornamental and potted plant".
Marshall Islands Ratak Chain	Mili (Mile) Atoll	introduced cultivated	Vander Velde, Nancy/Vander Velde, Brian (2010) (p. A4) Rare; single potted plant, private garden, Mili Island.
Nauru Nauru Island	Nauru Island		Wagner, W. L./ Herbst, D. R./Weitzman, A./Lorence, D.H. (2013)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 17) Voucher cited: MacKee 22372
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Babeldaob Island	introduced	Raulerson, L./Rinehart, A. F./Falanruw, M. C. (1996) (p. 15)
Palau Palau (Belau ) (main island group)	Koror (Oreor) Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1987) (p. 89)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Costa Rica (Republic of)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Honduras (Republic of)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Watersides, by fields, ?wild or cultivated; below 2000 m. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Sichuan, Yunnan.
China China	Hong Kong	native	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 297) In farmland, on wet places along streams or cultivated.
Japan Japan	Japan	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	introduced cultivated	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 12) Cultivated only
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	introduced cultivated	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Alocasia cucullata, please let us know.