The Alocasia lauterbachiana, delivered in its stylish Selin Basket (Ø19cm, ↕80cm), is a magnificent and unique houseplant, sometimes referred to as the Elephant Ear, though its long, narrow leaves make it quite distinct from other varieties. At 80cm tall, it’s a striking, tall plant ready to dominate a space with its vertical elegance.

🌿 Foliage, Form, and Air Quality

This plant is an evergreen perennial, ensuring its strong form and beautiful leaves are present all year. Its foliage is highly distinctive: the leaves are elongated and upright with beautifully wavy, undulating margins, giving them a striking, textural look. The leaves are typically a rich, dark green on top, often paired with a dramatic, contrasting purplish-red underside. This sculptural form makes it a show-stealer. Additionally, the Alocasia lauterbachiana is an air-purifying houseplant, contributing to cleaner air and oxygen in your home. It grows tall and upright and does not have any spines.

📏 Size and Growth

Your plant is already quite substantial at 80cm. The Alocasia lauterbachiana is naturally a tall grower and can easily reach an indoor height of 90cm up to 1.5 metres (3 to 5 feet) or more when happy, offering a wonderful, vertical tropical accent.

🌸 Flowering and Fragrance

This plant is prized for its dramatic leaves, and its flowering is usually infrequent and inconspicuous indoors. If it does bloom, it will produce a typical aroid flower structure: a subtle, pale-coloured spathe (the hood) surrounding a central spadix (the spike). These blooms are not decorative and are not notably fragrant.

💧 Care and Environment

Caring for this tall tropical plant requires mimicking the warmth and consistent moisture of its native habitat.

• Placement: Place the Alocasia lauterbachiana in a light place, ideally where it receives bright, indirect sunlight. It will grow towards the light, so you should regularly turn the plant slightly to ensure it grows evenly and does not become crooked.

• Drafts: This houseplant does not like drafts, so avoid placing it near exterior doors or vents.

• Watering: It enjoys a moist soil and likes a regular sip of water. A good guideline is a glass of water every week, but always check the soil; it should be consistently moist, but never soggy.

• Fertilizing: To support its vigorous growth, you should give the Elephant Ear some fertilizer twice a month during the active growing season (spring and summer). In winter, when growth slows down, reduce this to fertilizing only once a month.

Note: The Alocasia lauterbachiana, like all other Alocasia plants, is toxic if ingested. It contains calcium oxalate crystals which can cause painful irritation. For safety, ensure this striking plant is kept out of reach of pets and small children.