Table 1.

Comparison of important diagnostic characters of Alocasiaroseus, A.flemingiana and A.arifolia.

Diagnostic characters	Alocasiaroseus	Alocasiaflemingiana	Alocasiaarifolia
Blade	leathery, greyish green adaxially, reddish to greenish purple to pale brown greenish abaxially	membranous, mid-green adaxially, yellowish green abaxially	membranous to thinly coriaceous, somewhat glossy, dark/mid-green adaxially, paler abaxially
Venation	not forming interprimary collective veins	interprimary veins absent or poorly differentiated	forming undulating to zig-zag interprimary collective veins
Glands	inconspicuous axillary glands	distinct small flat glands	inconspicuous axillary glands
Sinus	not naked	naked for up to 1 cm	naked in the sinus for up to 3 cm
Constriction	at base of male zone or to half way along male zone	at top of sterile zone of spadix	at sterile interstice
Spadix	shorter than spathe, shortly stipitate for 2–4 mm long	somewhat shorter to almost as long as spathe, stipitate for c. 5 mm	almost as long as spathe, shortly stipitate, c. 3 mm long
Thecae	overtopped by synconnective, thecae opening by apical pores	somewhat displaced to overtopped by synconnective, thecae opening through apical slits	overtopped by synconnective, thecae opening by apical pores
Appendix	pale pink, gradually tapering to a blunt point, faintly irregularly channeled	Cream-coloured appendix, tapering	pale apricot-coloured, somewhat constricted at base, slightly narrower than male zone, tapering toward a point