I have gotten several A. plumbea nigra and A. plumbea Metallica(Crispa) plants. I'm having a hard time telling them apart. This is what is supposed to be A. plumbea nigra. It is small, holds its leaves out instead of straight up. I have a larger one, but didn't want to crawl under a stickery palm tree to take a picture!
This was bought as A. Metallica Crispa, I have several that are just like this one that were bought as A. plumbea metallica and A. plumbea. The leaves always point straight up. Please ignore the damaged leaf, I need to do some fall clean up.
They are the same. This plant has been given many names. Plumbea is the latin name. Metallica was a sales name. Their is a white stem form which I grow a lot of. Basically it is the same plant with a whitish stem. Good luck.
Nigra and Metallica are the same? Why the difference in the way the leaves are held?
I just bought a A. plumbea metallica, Susie. I hope it gets to look like your second picture.
Do you believe I took out all my brugs from my back garden and tossed them???? I am going to have a tropical garden there sans brugs. I am getting so sick of all their problems. I want to grow gingers and ears. Lots of them. LOL.
My brugs keep getting less and less in number. I've been waiting forever for a seedling to flower, Bleu stepped on it and broke it(he really did, he was chasing a garden snake). I just yanked it out of the ground and tossed it on the burn pile! Now I have room for more ears!
Yes, I think I may just pick maybe 5 to grow as landscape plants and get rid of the other 400. LOL It sure would simplify my life.
Brugs and sago palms, those two things have to go. The brugs are either getting broken by the wind, eaten by caterpillars or catching some disease. The sagos, I can't keep the scale off of.
I have a little brug, I call it Little Lola. She is about 2 ft tall and has a huge canopy, Susie. Gets tons of flowers. I sent you pics a while back. It is perfect for the windy city! I just need to get her rooted. I should try those rooting pellets I bought.
Sago scale is nasty. I am about ready to cut all the leaves off and start over again. I have been using a strong blast from the hose to keep them off, but I turned around for 2 seconds! and they are back again! AAARRRGGGHHH!
Kell, I remember that little brug, it would be great for a pot on my deck!
Ana, I've cut leaves, sprayed the leaves and trunk, drenched the roots, used Bayer systemic, used Marrathon, cut more leaves............this has been a 2 year battle and I'm still not winning! Just when I think they're gone for good, they come back!
Have you used the Bayer Tree and Shrub?? It got rid of the scale that was thick on my oleanders. I had scale for several years. They had killed 2 trees. Just covered the entire tree. It was so gross. One heavy dose of Bayer Tree and Shrub did it. Try that again, heavy dose!! I had tried everything else.
I believe both your Alocasias are the same. One is just much more mature the other should look the same as it matures as well. Their are some different forms but I have not seen much leaf differences.
The little one is the oldest, by a year or more and it never holds it's leaves vertical. I'm still confused.
So you're saying A. plumbae nigra and A. plumbae metallica are exactly the same?
Kind of like the ones on ebay, just change the name and sell more...............
This message was edited Oct 12, 2005 2:14 PM
