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Alocasia Flowers: 5 Common Questions Answered (with photos)

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Have you been curious to learn more about Alocasia flowers, and what it means when you see them? Technically, they would be considered an Alocasia inflorescence, and I’ll explain later in this concise, informative post. Keep reading to learn all about Alocasia flowers and see the answers to the most common questions that people typically have concerning blooming Alocasias.

alocasia-flowers

ALL ABOUT THE ALOCASIA FLOWER

1. WHAT DOES AN ALOCASIA FLOWER LOOK LIKE?

Technically, it is actually an inflorescence that you see on your Alocasia. Like all plants in the aroid (Araceae) plant family, Alocasias have a distinct inflorescence and they will all look pretty similar to each other.

In the illustrated photo below, the central, narrow structure in the middle is called the spadix, and the wider, green structure behind it is the spathe, which is technically a modified leaf. Below these two is an enlarged growth called the floral chamber.

In Alocasias, the female flowers are tiny and are hidden in the floral chamber, while the male flowers are on the upper part of the spadix. So while the majority of people call the spadix+spathe structure a flower, it is technically called an inflorescence.

The color, size and shape of the inflorescence will all vary a bit depending on the species of Alocasia, but they will all look fairly similar.

alocasia-flowers

It is important to understand the floral structure if you want to experiment with pollinating Alocasia.

2. IS IT RARE FOR ALOCASIA TO FLOWER INDOORS?

Contrary to what you may have read in many posts online, it is NOT rare that they flower indoors.

The word rare has been used very loosely when it comes to plants, and it is simply not true that they rarely flower indoors.

Although many plants ARE shy bloomers indoors, Alocasia really isn’t one of them.

I have witnessed many Alocasia plants bloom indoors, as well have received many messages from my excited readers when they have sent me photos of their Alocasia inflorescences, asking what they are.

Alocasias will bloom when they are happy, and also when they are stressed (and you should know by looking at your plant if it is stressed or not!). If your plant is blooming, it is not necessarily an indication that your plant is in tip top shape.

alocasia-flowers
An unopened Alocasia inflorescence on my Alocasia nebula

3. WHAT TO DO WHEN ALOCASIA FLOWERS?

You can do one of two things:

  1. Leave it and enjoy it (although they’re really not that interesting and we grow Alocasias for their foliage and not the flowers.
  2. Cut off the entire inflorescence.

4. SHOULD I LET MY ALOCASIA FLOWER?

I would recommend always cutting off your Alocasia inflorescences as soon as you spot them.

The reason is that your plant will expend energy sustaining that growth, and most of us would rather redirect the plant’s energy into foliage growth instead. It’s really that simple.

5. WHERE TO CUT ALOCASIA FLOWER?

Like I’m showing you in the photo below, take a pair of sharp, sterilized pruners and cut as low as you can on the inflorescence stalk.

where-to-cut-alocasia-flowers

Take a look at all the ones I cut off below all from the same plant and in different stages of development.

alocasia-flowers-inflorescence-life-cycle

At a bare minimum, to practice good hygiene, cut off the inflorescences after they are spent and don’t let them accumulate on your plant. It is best if you can cut them off as soon as you notice them though.

RELATED RESOURCES

I have many posts on my site on how to grow various Alocasia plants, but you may want to start with my post on Alocasia types to get familiar with all the beautiful varieties out there.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post on Alocasia flowers. Have any of your Alocasia bloomed? Comment below. I’d love to hear!

Ariel

Wednesday 3rd of May 2023

My elephant ear keeps flowering and has been continuously flowering 1-2 flowers at a time indoors for the past 9 months. It is causing weird new growth for the new leaves as if the stems are folded in a sense causing them to be weak and also half the size of the original leaves before it ever started flowering.

Also when I am cutting the new flowers (so all the growth can go into the leaves) I can only cut to a certain point as they are growing from the inside where all the other stems are. This is causing the cut flower stems to grow moldy since I can’t cut them down farther in the plant where they arise from.

1. How do I stop my elephant ear from flowering since it’s been 9 month of continuous flowering and it’s affecting the new growth of the new leaves since it’s become crowded from all the cut flowered stems that can’t fully be removed?

2. How do I prevent the mold from occurring since there is a limit to how far down I can cut until the other stems begin to get in the way?

Thank you!!!! There is no info of how to stop it from flowering as well as the irregular growing with the extra stems from the flowers which when cut causes mold

Raffaele

Sunday 7th of May 2023

Hi Ariel! Do you know exactly what kind of Alocasia that you have? It would help to see photos. If you can message me through the contact form on my website, when I reply, you can attach some photos. That would help :-)

Isabel Jonker

Thursday 13th of April 2023

My alocasia purple patch and midnight magic form flowers but they wilt before the flower opens. What would be the cause of that?

Raffaele

Thursday 13th of April 2023

It's hard to say without more details. It could be from extremes in soil moisture, temperatures that your plant doesn't like, etc. Or maybe it's adjusting to a new environment. Does any of this resonate?

PNW indoor plant lover

Wednesday 12th of April 2023

My giant alocasia bloomed - I believe it is happy. I love all aspects of my plants and appreciate its flowers as much as its foliage. I cut away the dead/dying but allow the rest to flourish exactly as it wants! Appreciate the article!

Raffaele

Thursday 13th of April 2023

Glad you enjoyed the post!

Lauren

Wednesday 22nd of March 2023

This was so helpful! My alocasia started blooming, probably because it was by a cold window, and I didn’t know what was going on. Thank you for the thorough information!

Raffaele

Friday 24th of March 2023

You're very welcome Lauren!

Pearl

Thursday 26th of January 2023

My Alocasia 'Polly' has developed an inflorescence for the first time. I agree that in this case it was probably due to the stress of having an ongoing battle with mealy bugs in the last few months.

Raffaele

Thursday 26th of January 2023

Darn mealy mugs! They're also very prone to spider mites. Keep an eye out :-)