Englerarum montanum

(aka: Alocasia hypnosa 'Maechang', Alocasia lihengiae, Alocasia gageana, Englerarum hypnosum) Most gardeners are familiar with arums, but few know Engler's arum...aka: Englerarum montanum. This horticultural oddity was kicked out of several better known aroid genera (Colocasia and Alocasia) due to its odd genetics. The lone species of Englerarum can be found in forests from Southwest China to Southeast Thailand, where it grows as a lithophyte (lives on rocks) on limestone, spreading by rhizomes to form large colonies. It has been surprisingly winter hardy for us, surviving upper single digits F, when growing in typical garden soils, where it reaches 5' in height with 30" long leaves. Growing in temperate climates in the soil, it is a far less vigorous spreader that in its native tropical haunts.