Alocasia ~Hilo Beauty~ Taro Caladium praetermissum Origin: Horticultural Elephant Ear       Alocasia ‘Hilo Beauty’ is tropical member of the philodendron family with the heart-shaped leaves of an elephant ear. Each leaf is marked with various shades of green in a camo pattern make this taro attractive in containers, in a shady border, at the edge of a pond, or as a houseplant. It also has pale stalks with purplish banding. 'Hilo Beauty' is very tolerant of a range of soil pH, heat, humidity, and heavy soil. It can even take about a half day of sunlight.	Some people suggest it’s possibly a natural hybrid found in Hawaii between an Alocasia and Caladium, but all of this is just speculation.
You are bidding on small starter plants with vigorous root systems 2-4 inches tall with 1-2 leaves growing in 3in deep pots.
photos of adult plant    item size is small starter
Each leaf is marked with various shades of green in a camo pattern that any US Seal Team member outfitted for night mission would be proud of. Plants grow about 2 feet tall and wide with individual leaves to a foot long and rising from the soil. Hilo Beauty is a hybrid Elephant Ear, but no one is sure what species were involved in the cross, since the plant doesn’t flower. Apparently, the plant makes a short rhizome somewhat like a caladium, not the upright trunk found on Alocasias (Elephant Ear) or the large fleshy tuber of Taro (Colocasia esculenta). To accurately identify the plant to genus, flowers are critical. So, depending on the point of view of aroid experts, Hilo Beauty has been classified as belonging to one of four separate genera. The tissue culture propagators have chosen to call it Alocasia, so Alocasia it becomes.  In my collection, none is more eye catching than Alocasia ‘Hilo Beauty’. No other elephant ear has such bold variegation, Although Alocasia ‘Hilo Beauty' leaves are only 8 to 12 inches long, dwarf in comparison to many other elephant ear taro, they display well and look larger for being held high on two-foot stems.  ‘Hilo Beauty’ prospers in rich soil and full sun to medium shade. Generous watering keeps it lush. Extra vigilance is required when growing it in containers, but since ‘Hilo Beauty’ thrives in standing water. Do not let dry out. ‘Hilo Beauty’ potted plants will be happy in a garden pool for the summer.	Height: 12-30 in. (30-70 cm) Spacing: 24-36 in. (60-90 cm) Hardiness: USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 °C (20 °F) USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F) USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 °C (30 °F) USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 °C (35 °F) USDA Zone 11: above 4.5 °C (40 °F) Sun Exposure: Light Shade, Partial to Full Shade Bloom Color: N/A Bloom Time: Late Summer/Early Fall Foliage is heart-shaped, apple-green leaves are generously dappled with large creamy yellow blotches. ‘Hilo Beauty’ cannot tolerate cold, so wait until night temperatures reach the 50s to plant it in spring. Slow-growing at first, it will start producing lush clumps of foliage at the onset of summer’s heat, as well as small plantlets around the mother bulb. Dig your plants in autumn once temperatures dip into the 40s. Don’t wait until after the first frost, or you’ll find only the mushy remains of a once-healthy tuber. You can store dormant tubers dry and cool
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Shipping     ATTENTION USA BIDDERS!      All live plants are shipped bare-root wrapped in moist sphagnum moss to ensure the plant’s healthy transit to you. All live plants are Inspected By USDA Plant Inspectors before they are shipped to insure you get healthy pest free plants and seeds. We ship via USPS Mondays-Wednesday with Delivery confirmation.   All plant materials are required by LAW to inspected and certified by USDA prior to export Hawaii to the US Mainland.  After Inspection, USDA stamps released for export Hawaii to the US Mainland. All items are delivered to USDA Inspection Station at Honolulu International airport. USDA Certification charge is included in Shipping and Handling @ $5 fee per item/species. There is a packing & custom boxing fee. Last and usually least is USPS postage (shipping).   ATTENTION INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS!   We can ship certified live plants to the US only. Only Domestic Shipping and Handling includes USDA Certification. We ship Seeds Internationally.   All International shipments are at Buyer's Risk. Please spend no more more than you can lose! Proper Permits and Documents are the BUYER's responsibility. Please request any documents prior to shipping. For foreign customers, please check your laws concerning permitting and customs, additional shipping and handling costs may apply.  The additional charge for any Phytosanitary Certificate is not included in this offer. INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING ON LIVE PLANTS is available only under these conditions! All international orders are shipped at the BUYER's RISK  (shipped with or without documents) and no refunds or replacements are offered for Dead On Arrival, loss, confiscation, Customs Seizure, unanticipated charges, etc.	Payment             We accept online payments only through PayPal, Cash payments are only acceptable for in-person payments and cash-on-delivery (COD). Cash payment can not be sent through the mail.       Please only one Paypal payment. SO THE COMBINED SHIPPING RULE WILL CAN BE USED. Multiple paypal payments are NOT eligible for discounts.         We will ship once a week - ON or BEFORE WEDNESDAYS, because of the special stamps needed to ship plants and cuttings to you.  This can only be done at the Dept. of Agriculture.  If payments are not met before that MONDAY, your items will be shipped the following week and lose the combined discount opportunity.          Non-paying bidders may receive negative feedback and will be reported as an unpaid item to eBay.   COMBINED SHIPPING POLICY INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING is not included in this offer.   INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING ON LIVE PLANTS on a case by case basis. We will combine shipping for auctions won on the same week paid with same PayPal payment.    This policy is good for auction items bought and paid for in the week ending MONDAY. We ship on Tuesdays. Payment must be received within 4 days of the auction ending.  Combined Discounts Won Auctions      For 2-3 winning auctions, the combined discount is 10% of the total Shipping and Handling charges. For 4-7 winning auctions, the combined discount is 20% of the total Shipping and Handling charges. For 7+ winning auctions, the combined discount is 30% of the total Shipping and Handling charges.            As each order is packed and prepared separately you will pay the quoted S/H charges individually per item. If you buy the same species in that item it does calculate out the discount (i.e.: additional item $7.61). My stores' combined shipping is built in for same items rather than a varied selection. S/H includes postage, USDA certification and inspection, proper packing and delivery to Airport for prompt delivery. I can't really change any of these. If you want one of this and one of that, it is hard to discount much as each different species requires it's own prep, packing, then at USDA each has to be unwrapped and inspected then repacked. USDA requires me to clean and prepare every last piece before we drive them to the Inspection Station on the other side of the island. It takes my wife and I, a day to pack items and get ready to ship. The whole next day we drive around the island and get inspected (2-3 hours), then drive to the Airport Post Office to drop off. It takes the same work with the same type item if you can understand.
After you purchase	After you Receive your Items.
LIVE PLANTS ARE PERISHABLE. For this reason uninsurable.         When you order a plant we assume you are prepared to care for it. Please have potting media and a container prepared for your plant before it arrives. Shipping can be stressful on a plant, and any mistakes that you make upon arrival can stress the plant further, which is not good. Proper care is critical upon arrival. It is your responsibility to know how to care for the plant. Not every plant that I order through the mail survives, and I am aware of that and accept the risk when I order. This is the risk that you as the buyer accept, because there is no way to know what kind of conditions it will endure in the trip to your door. My responsibility ends when a live plant is delivered to your door. Live arrival is guaranteed, eternal survival is up to you. Please Do NOT email me a week after potting your plant, and make a claim it arrived damaged. From delivery confirmation, you have only 48 hours from delivery confirmation to make any claim.	All claims need to be supported with Photos of the damaged plant(s) as packed/unpacked, the box if damaged, the packing materials and any documents. I am very reasonable and understanding, anything can happen to small plants in transit. The expense to send it to you is most of your payment. To send any replacement(s), I try to piggy back with your next order. Replacement is not an option for CUSTOMS SEIZURE. ALL OF MY ITEMS ARE SHIPPED USDA CERTIFIED WITHIN THE U.S.- USDA and USPS fees are included in the actual cost of shipping and Handling. Please do not leave a 1 or 2 in my detailed seller ratings for postage fees or any reason really because I will block you from any further purchases. I ship items the best and least expensive option. These are coming from Hawaii. The only thing inexpensive here in Hawaii are my items!! I do ship all my items promptly via best method--if you feel like the combined shipping fee is wrong, please wait to be invoiced and check back with me-I value your business and will work diligently to keep you satisfied. I am very generous and reasonable with reasonable people, just ask.
my dog Taz will fetch your email to me If you are dissatisfied with the item, please contact me    before leaving a negative or neutral comment. I want you to be satisfied. Mahalo iâ `oe no ke kipa `ana mai. E kipa mai hou!	Rare Palm Seeds Fresh Highest Quality          Seller warrants seed to be of the variety and quantity advertised. Safe delivery is guaranteed and seeds lost or damaged during shipment will be replaced at seller's expense. Claims must be made within 7 days of shipment. All other replacements, refunds, returns and exchanges will be made at the sole discretion of the seller.   Seed is a live product which depends on many important related grower skills such as proper planting time, seed depth, type of soil, irrigation, proper use of fertilizers, weed controls, fungicides, insecticides, disease free soil, and reasonable weather conditions during the growing period. Germination is affected by such factors as temperature, moisture content, light intensity and contamination of planting media. These factors are totally out of the seller's control and are the buyer's responsibility and risk. Consequentially, the seller cannot unconditionally guarantee seed to perform properly regardless of conditions or the buyer's methods or mistakes.
Mahalo & Aloha!!