ALOCASIA ‘JEAN MERKEL’
Alocasia longiloba x Alocasia sanderiana
PARENTAGE: Alocasia longiloba x Alocasia sanderiana
SYNONYMS: N/A
HYBRIDIZER: N/A
VARIEGATION: N/A
DESCRIPTION: Bluish grey-green leaves, with silvery veins and margins. The tapering leaves are about 9-15” long and about 5-8” wide at the widest point. The abaxial surface is normally bright green with a purple midrib.
This cross has been one of the most prolific in the genus Alocasia, with some of its “cousins” being more famously known than the others:
Alocasia ‘Mark Campbell’ by David Fell of Hawaiian Sunshine Nursery
Alocasia ‘Mortefontanensis’ by Édouard-François André
Alocasia ‘Purpley’ by Bill Rotolante of Silver Krome Gardens
Given the high variability of what literature labeled as Alocasia longiloba it is not surprising that the results of this cross by multiple hybridizers have produced such different hybrids. One can group Alocasia ‘Jean Merkel’ and Alocasia ‘Mark Campbell’ together, while Alocasia ‘Amazonica’, Alocasia ‘Mortefontanesis’ and Alocasia ‘Purpley’ are also closely related.
This hybrid was named after avid plant collector Jean Merkel (see below)
INFLORESCENCE: N/A
