Alocasia sanderiana is an ornamental plant

Ornamental plant

Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...

 in the Araceae

Araceae

Araceae are a family of monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. The spadix is usually accompanied by, and sometimes partially enclosed in, a spathe or leaf-like bract. Also known as the Arum family, members are often colloquially...

 family, which is native to the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

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General aspect and origins

Alocasia sanderiana is also known as the Kris Plant because of the resemblance of its leaf edges to the wavy blade of the kalis dagger

Kalis

A kalis is a type of double-edged Filipino sword, often with a "wavy" section, similar to a kris. Unlike the kris, the Kalis's double-edged blade can be used for both cutting and thrusting....

 (also known as kris or keris). It is a tropical perennial with upright shiny, V-shaped and deeply lobed leaves. The plant can be up to 6 ft (2 m) tall and large in its native tropical area. However, it is smaller in culture.

Leaves

Leaves are evergreen, pelted, V-shaped, deeply lobed, glossy deep-green with large silvery white veins. They are about 12-16 in (30-40 cm) long and 6-8 in (15-20 cm) wide, with red-green undersides. The leaf stem is about 2 ft (60 cm) long.

Flowers

This plant has creamy-white inflorescences that are about 6 in (15 cm) long, and that are made of a green and white spathe that covers the tiny flowers. Female flowers are grouped at the lower part of the inflorescence

Inflorescence

An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...

, whereas the male flowers are at the top.