Caladium praetermissum also called as Hilo Beauty Elephant Ear has been misidentified by the horticultural trade as Alocasia 'Hilo Beauty'...
Alocasia Hilo Beauty, also called as Hilo Beauty Elephant Ear and its scientific name Caladium praetermissum, is a species of the genus Caladium. This species was described by Josef Bogner and Wilbert Hetterscheid in 2009. This species has been misidentified by the horticultural trade as Alocasia 'Hilo Beauty'. The correct name should be Caladium praetermissum.
IDENTIFY ALOCASIA HILO BEAUTY - CALADIUM PRAETERMISSUM
Alocasia Hilo Beauty is likely native to Tropical America. It was collected from a living plant, grown in the Munich Botanical Garden, origin unknown (only known in cultivation).
It is an evergreen herb which reaching to about 1 m tall with underground rhizomes measuring to 18 cm long. The leaves are cordate-peltate, membranous, 21-42 cm long and 14-31 cm wide, pale to medium green, marked with irregular creamy to yellowish green spots. Petiole nearly terete, the ventral side somewhat flattened, 34-108 cm long and 0.7-1.5 cm in diam., uniformly purple-colored or purplish, only the upper part slightly paler; sheath 10-35 cm long.
Caladium praetermissum blooms in summer from the finger-like spadix subtended by a light green spathe. The flowers are small, white to green resemble calla flowers, with separate male and female flowers distributed along the spadix.
ALOCASIA HILO BEAUTY - CALADIUM PRAETERMISSUM CARE
Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.
Light:
Alocasia Hilo Beauty grow well and has best leaf color with between 2500 to 5000 foot-candles. For best results, plant them in a semi-shaded location. From 40 to 60 percent shade is considered ideal. Lower light intensities cause stretched petioles, large leaves, and weak plants. Light intensities that are too high cause bleached leaf color or necrotic leaf margins.
In tropical and subtropical areas they can be grown in a sheltered spot in the garden. In cooler areas they are suitable for indoors or a glasshouse.
Temperature:
Substrate and growing media:
Caladium praetermissum should be planted in a potting media that is high in peat or organic matter with a high waterholding capacity. Many growers use pure peat moss amended to correct pH and fertility. However, many commercial peat-lite media also work well. Other growers plant the tubers in Jiffy pots to be transplanted later.
Tubers should be planted 2 to 3 inches deep because roots will emerge from the upper side of the tuber. The media used should have a pH of 5.5 to 6.5 and an electrical conductivity level of 1.2 to 1.5 (2:1 extraction method). Water the tubers well soon after potting.
Watering:
Although Alocasia Hilo Beauty enjoy warm weather, they don’t tolerate dry conditions. In beds and borders, water plants weekly during dry weather. To help conserve soil moisture, apply a 5cm layer of mulch around the plants. Caladiums in containers should be checked regularly and watered when the potting soil begins to dry out.
Winter period:
In the autumn when nights are cool, the plannt can fade. Withhold water until foliage dies. After foliage is dead, the tuber may be dug and stored to be replanted in the spring.
In the Tropical South, you can leave tubers in the ground year-round. In the rest of the South, you may need to dig them up in early fall if you want to replant next year. Remove any remaining leaves and roots. Let tubers dry in shaded area for a few days. Place them in dry peat moss to store. Keep them in warm spot (50 to 60 degrees) until it's time to replant.
Fertilizer:
Fertilize regularly with a soluble fertilizer to promote strong foliage growth. Caladium praetermissum prefer a 2-2-3 or 1-1-1 ratio of N-P-K. One of the biggest problems in caladium production is overfertilization. The plant should not be put on a constant liquid fertilizer program. They are nitrogen sensitive and a high nitrogen fertilizer is discouraged. Symptoms of overfertilization include stretching of petiols, poor leaf color, and greening and brown spots on white-leaf cultivars.
Pests and diseases:
Alocasia Hilo Beauty are generally pest and disease free, but problems can occur. Aphids, thrips, mealy bugs, two-spotted spider mites, and white flies can be problems. Emulsifiable concentrates should be avoided on caladiums.
Propagation:
Caladium praetermissum can be propagated by seed, tissue culture, or tubers. Seed production requires a long production time and results in seedling variability, therefore it is only used in breeding. Tissue culture is not often used because it is costly. Nearly all caladium production is done from tubers. Tuber propagation is usually conducted in the spring.
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