Alocasia reginula Gold Variegated

Black velvet, streaked with gold.

There is no other contrast in the Alocasia genus that does what this one does. The matte, light-absorbing black of Alocasia reginula is already one of the most distinctive leaf surfaces in the hobby — the species that earned the common name "Black Velvet" and built half the wishlists in collector circles. Adding stable gold variegation to that surface produces something almost every collector want, especially at this price!

The contrast does the work

Standard albo variegation reads white on green. Pink reads blush on green. Aurea reads gold on green. All of those have their place, and all of those are familiar enough now that the collector eye has learned to scan past them.

Gold variegation on Black Velvet is different. The yellow-gold doesn't sit alongside green it sits against a leaf surface engineered by the plant to absorb light, not reflect it. The variegation reads brighter, sharper, and more deliberate than gold on any other Alocasia surface. One sector, two, sometimes a full half-leaf in gold against the velvet black. No two leaves the same.

Why this form rarely surfaces

Alocasia reginula in its standard form is established in the trade. Tissue culture has made the species accessible at every price point, and most collectors will already own one or have done at some stage. The gold variegated form is a different story. Stable gold variegation on this species doesn't come out of tissue culture reliably — it has to be propagated from variegated stock, and the offsets are limited. The form exists in collector circles in tiny numbers, mostly in private collections, mostly not for sale.

This drop is three plants. That's the supply.

What you're getting

Each plant is a juvenile, established specimen propagated from variegated parent stock. Variegation is expressing on current leaves and will continue to express on new growth in stable conditions.

Care is the same as standard Black Velvet — bright indirect light, humidity above 60%, careful watering, aeither pon or a chunky aroid mix. Gold sectors contain less chlorophyll than the black tissue around them, so light needs to be a little stronger than you'd give the all-black form. Otherwise, if you've grown the standard Black Velvet, you can grow this.

The drop

Three plants. £65 each. Sunday at 4pm.

The collector list gets first access. Anything left after the list moves opens to the wider audience at the higher price!