Black Velvet Elephant Ear
4.0 out of 5 (32 experiences)
Large, lush leaves
Survivor
About Black Velvet Elephant Ear
The black velvet Alocasia’s ancestors appeared 24 million years ago in Borneo, the largest island in Asia and home to one of the oldest rainforests in the world. Alocasia ‘Black Velvet’ was named a plant variety, or cultivar, by Scott Hyndman, who obtained it from the Lyon Arboretum in Hawaii. However, a Japanese collector in Borneo found it in the wild—growing naturally in a 140-million-year-old rainforest in Borneo—and categorized it as a new species in 1998. 🖤
Taxonomy
Alocasia reginula
Alocasia
Araceae
Alismatales
Also known as
Black Velvet Alocasia, Black Velvet Alocasia, The Dwarf Black Queen, Little Queen and Black Velvet Pink Variegated
How to care for Black Velvet Elephant Ear
How often to water your Black Velvet Elephant Ear
every 9
Black Velvet Elephant Ear needs 0.5 cups of water every 9 when it doesn’t get direct sunlight and is potted in a 5" pot.
Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.
Water 0.5 cups every
9
Finding light for Black Velvet Alocasia in your home
a window
Black Velvet Elephant Ear may have difficulty thriving, and will drop leaves 🍃, without ample sunlight.
Place it less than 3 feet from a south-facing window to maximize the potential for growth.
Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Black Velvet Elephant Ear in your home 🏡.
How to fertilize Black Velvet Elephant Ear
Most potting soils come with ample nutrients which plants use to produce new growth.
By the time your plant has depleted the nutrients in its soil it’s likely grown enough to need a larger pot anyway.
To replenish this plant's nutrients, repot your Black Velvet Elephant Ear after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.
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Why are some of my leaves dying. I water once a week #BlackVelvetAlocasia
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My plan has little white holes in it why? #BlackVelvetAlocasia
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Hey, should I place my plant elsewhere? I don’t always use the growing light and it s near a northfacing window. #BlackVelvetAlocasia
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This plant isn't happy and I don't know if she's too far from a window or if she doesn't like the pebble tray or both...? Any suggestions? #BlackVelvetAlocasia
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How can I fix the leaves curling?! #BlackVelvetAlocasia
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Got an Alocasia ‘Black Velvet’ yesterday. Meet Persephone! But look at that new leaf- I don’t think she likes me very much. 😆 #HappyPlants #PlantsMakePeopleHappy #PlantAddict
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Help!! Black Velvet Alocasia My black velvet alocasia was one of my first plants and is a few years old now. She was a gift from my dad (who has a super green thumb and can grow anything anywhere). She had three leaves when I received her, then got up to five!! Last spring, she started flowering and she’s growing out of the pot. She has not stopped flowering. Everytime I see new growth, IT’S ANOTHER FLOWER!! And she is STRUGGLING now! Only two leaves, one is unhealthy so I’m going to cut it. I’m not sure if she needs to be repotted with how she is growing out of the pot, but I know repotting whole flowering is a huge no-no. I don’t know what to do! Any advice? I tagged her so you can see what she looked like before! I’ll add some photos of what she looks like now on this post!
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I was checking out my new Black Velvet alocasia this morning to see if she was ready for a repot and what did I find…? These are the kinds of stowaways I’m here for!
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My beautiful addition… Name it Mufasa 🥰🥰🥰
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Hi, I’m new to owning a black velvet alocasia. The new leaf bud died and I can’t figure out why. I have it on a windowsill. Is it getting too much sun?
Care Summary for Black Velvet Elephant Ear
Black Velvet Elephant Ear
Greg recommends:
Water
0.5 cups every 9 days
Placement
< 3ft from a window
Nutrients
Repot after 2x growth
Based on the 4” pot your plant is in, and that it doesn’t get direct sunlight.
What other plant parents say
Large, lush leaves 19
Survivor 10
Browns easily 9
Fast grower 7
Pest magnet 3
Easy to propagate 2
Blooms easily 1
10/07/2021
Got this plant delivered and straight away she didn’t like me, died off after a couple of weeks with me. or so i thought, i have since moved to putting her in hydro and have got what seems like new life out of her, so id say incredibly temperamental
Large, lush leaves
Survivor
Browns easily
05/27/2021
Pure, concentrated evil. But the leaves are so beautiful you’ll put up with this drama queen and her bizarre upkeep requirements. Picky about light. Picky about watering. Picky about anything even thinking about touching its leaves. After a year of following the directions of the plant shop and every care guide without much success, our black velvet is now thriving after a move to our darkish bathroom and being watered only by misting the soil.
Large, lush leaves
05/18/2021
Mine loves being right next to the humidifier but having the soil dry out just a bit. It’s currently in peat and is about a foot and a half away from a west facing window. It does not get direct sun. Has a tendency to drop its lower leaves as it prepares to push out new leaves.
Browns easily
Pest magnet