Night-scented lily

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Night-scented lily
• elephant-ear
• taro
• Asian Taro
• Giant Elephant's Ear

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Caladium odoratissimum
• Colocasia odora
• Arum odoratum
• Alocasia tonkinensis
• Arum odorum
• Alocasia subodorata
• Caladium odorum
• Alocasia commutata
• Colocasia odora var. viridis
• Colocasia odora var. rubra

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Aliasmaetales, it is classified under the family Araceae. Finally, its specific taxonomic placement is within the genus Alocasia.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a diverse geographical distribution spanning several distinct regions across the globe. In Europe, its presence is noted within the borders of Spain in the Southwestern region. It also has a remote occurrence near Ascension in the Middle Atlantic Ocean. Within Asia, the species is widely distributed throughout China, specifically in the South-Central and Southeast areas. Furthermore, the plant can be found inhabiting the tropical landscapes of Hainan.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Life history

The life history of Alocasia odora is characterized by its status as a perennial plant, allowing it to persist in its environment over multiple growing seasons. As a chamaephyte, its growth habit typically maintains its reproductive buds or stems near or just above the soil surface, which aids in its survival and structural development. Furthermore, the plant exhibits evergreen deciduousness, maintaining its foliage throughout much of its life cycle and providing a consistent green presence in its natural habitat.

Deciduousness :

evergreen

Life form :

chamaephyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

Morphologically, Alocasia odora is characterized as a non-woody herb and forb that exhibits a self-supporting growth habit. The plant typically reaches a mean height of approximately 0.6 m, maintaining a stature that does not require climbing structures such as vines or lianas. As a terrestrial species, it is neither aquatic nor epiphytic, growing independently in its habitat without relying on a host plant.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Growth form :

forb

Parasite :

independent

Plant height mean:

0.6 m

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Alocasia odora is characterized by a specialized metabolic framework designed for efficiency in shaded or tropical understory environments. This species utilizes a C3 photosynthetic pathway, a process where carbon dioxide is fixed directly through the Calvin cycle without the temporal or spatial separation seen in C4 or CAM plants. This pathway allows the plant to maximize light harvesting in low-intensity environments, though it necessitates careful regulation of stomatal conductance to balance gas exchange with transpiration rates. Furthermore, Alocasia odora does not function as a nitrogen fixer; it lacks the symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria required to convert atmospheric nitrogen into bioavailable forms, meaning it must rely on the uptake of nitrates and ammonium from the soil through its root system to satisfy its nitrogen requirements for protein synthesis and chlorophyll production.

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Reproduction

The reproduction of Alocasia odora involves both sexual and asexual mechanisms, primarily driven by the production of specialized inflorescences and the development of underground storage organs. In its sexual phase, the plant produces a spadix enclosed by a spathe, which facilitates pollination. Following successful fertilization, the plant generates seeds characterized by a highly consistent mass; empirical data indicates that the seed mass for this species remains uniform, with a mean, maximum, and minimum value all recorded at 0.0313 g. These small, consistent seeds are dispersed to establish new individuals, though the plant also frequently reproduces vegetatively through the production of corms or offsets, allowing it to spread effectively in its natural habitat.

Seed mass mean:

0.0313 g

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Alocasia odora has 2 reported plant parts identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include rhizome, stem.

Rhizome

1. Applied microbiology and biotechnology

Stem

1. Applied microbiology and biotechnology

Activities

Alocasia odora has 2 reported activities identified across 2 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antiviral, Cytotoxic.

Antiviral

1. Applied microbiology and biotechnology

Cytotoxic

1. Applied microbiology and biotechnology