Alocasia boa Plants GrowTropicals
Elephant ear

Alocasia boa

£34.99
Pot size
8cm £34.99

FREE tracked delivery on orders over £60

Complete the set up
Alocasia Premium Potting Mix
The perfect soil Alocasia Premium Potting Mix · 2.5L · £4.99
Description

Alocasia boa is a rare elephant ear with serious sculptural intent. Long, arrow shaped leaves stand upright on their stems, each blade a deep glossy green with boldly rippled, almost serrated margins that wave along the entire edge. The stems are the other half of the show, mottled with a snakeskin pattern that gives the plant its serpentine name. It suckers freely as it matures, slowly building into a clump of upright foliage, and unlike most of the fashionable jewel alocasias this is a true species, still genuinely scarce in cultivation.

Origins

Alocasia boa was described by the aroid botanist Alistair Hay in 1991 and is accepted by Kew as a species in its own right, native to the wet tropical forests of western New Guinea. It shares its home region and its upright, wavy edged look with Alocasia lauterbachiana, and it has the same air of something ancient and reptilian about it. It stays a manageable size for an alocasia, with indoor plants typically topping out at around a metre once settled.

Care

Treat it as a warm rainforest aroid. Give it bright, indirect light out of harsh midday sun, and water when the top few centimetres of compost have dried, keeping the mix slightly moist but never waterlogged, particularly while the plant is young. It appreciates decent humidity, so a bathroom, kitchen or a spot grouped with other plants suits it well. Keep it warm all year, ideally 18 to 28C and not below about 15C, away from cold draughts. Like all alocasias it contains insoluble calcium oxalates and is toxic if eaten, so keep it out of reach of pets and children.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

Find out more

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

Best quality plants guaranteed
7 day live arrival guarantee
Delivered to your door with care
Earn 174 points with this plant · 5 points per £1 Join free

How to care for Elephant ear

Give me bright light out of the midday sun and water me when the top of my soil feels dry.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
Get to know me

About Elephant ear

Alocasia boa is a houseplant that takes a little effort. It needs bright indirect light, watering once the top 2 to 3cm of compost has dried out, a little extra humidity and a minimum temperature of 15°C. It is harmful to pets and small children if eaten.

Good for

Living Room Kitchen

Care level

EasyChallenge

A little effort

Light

ShadeFull sun

Bright, indirect light

Bright, indirect light out of harsh midday sun. Good light keeps new upright leaves coming and the clump full. Read moreShow less

Bright, indirect light out of harsh midday sun. Good light keeps new upright leaves coming and the clump full.

Watering

Evenly moistDries out fully

Let the top few centimetres dry out

Water when the top few centimetres of compost have dried, keeping the mix slightly moist but never waterlogged. Ease off in winter; soggy compost is the quickest way to lose it. Read moreShow less

Water when the top few centimetres of compost have dried, keeping the mix slightly moist but never waterlogged. Ease off in winter; soggy compost is the quickest way to lose it.

Humidity

Average homeHigh humidity

Prefers a little extra humidity

Prefers decent humidity. A bathroom, kitchen or a group of plants suits it well; avoid hot dry air next to radiators. Read moreShow less

Prefers decent humidity. A bathroom, kitchen or a group of plants suits it well; avoid hot dry air next to radiators.

Temperature

Keep above 15°C · Likes a warm room

Warm all year, ideally 18 to 28C and not below about 15C. Keep it away from cold draughts and unheated rooms in winter. Read moreShow less

Warm all year, ideally 18 to 28C and not below about 15C. Keep it away from cold draughts and unheated rooms in winter.

Feeding

Feed monthly with a balanced fertiliser from spring to autumn, and let it rest over winter.

Growth habit

Upright →Clumping →

Plant type

Aroid →

Toxicity

Harmful if chewed or swallowed. Keep it out of reach of pets and small children, and wash your hands after pruning.

Also known as

Alocasia boa

Genus

Alocasia →
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Alocasia boa a species or a hybrid?

It is a true species. Alocasia boa was described by Alistair Hay in 1991 and is listed as an accepted species by Kew's Plants of the World Online, native to western New Guinea. Some sellers write it as a cultivar, Alocasia 'Boa', and one reference files it under the hybrid Alocasia amazonica group, but the accepted species name is the best supported identity and no hybrid parentage has ever been published for it.

Is Alocasia boa safe around pets?

No. The ASPCA lists Alocasia as toxic to both cats and dogs. Like the rest of the genus it contains insoluble calcium oxalate crystals, which cause oral irritation, drooling, vomiting and difficulty swallowing if chewed or eaten. Keep it out of reach of pets and small children.

How much light does it need?

Bright, indirect light is ideal, such as near an east facing window or set back from a brighter one. Avoid harsh midday sun, which can scorch the leaves, and avoid gloomy corners, where growth slows and the plant may sulk or go dormant. The better the light, the faster it builds its clump of upright leaves.

Why has my alocasia died back, and will it return?

Alocasias can drop leaves or die back entirely when they get too cold, too dark or too wet, entering a dormancy rather than dying outright. If the compost still holds firm tubers, keep it barely moist, warm and bright, and new shoots usually appear within weeks. Alocasia boa also produces suckers readily, so a recovering plant often returns as several growing points.

How big will it get?

This is a young starter plant in an 8cm pot. Given warmth, humidity and good light it grows into an upright clumping plant typically around a metre tall indoors, with long wavy edged leaves and those distinctive snakeskin patterned stems. It suckers freely, so it fills its pot into a full multi stemmed specimen rather than remaining a single crown.

Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
Meet the family

Everything about Alocasia

Alocasia are some of the most striking houseplants you can grow. Bold, architectural leaves on slender stems that immediately draw the eye. They're native to tropical and subtropical forests across Southeast Asia, where they grow on the forest floor in warm...

More about Alocasia care
Alocasia Care Guide
Why Grow Tropicals

Plants delivered the way they deserve

Packaged with Care

Packaged with Care

Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

Backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

Perfect for Gifting

Perfect for Gifting

From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

Delivered fresh, beautiful, and gift-ready.

Sustainability at Heart

Sustainability at Heart

All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

Good for your home - and the planet.

Verified reviews

Rated by real customers

You may also like

We recommend
Alocasia boa
£34.99