Alocasia UK nursery
LONGILOBA LAVA KING COBRA
A dormant corm rather than a growing plant. It arrives in Fluval Stratum, ready to sprout given warmth and humidity. Rooting and first leaves take time, and patience is part of it.
- Variegation
- Variegated
- Available
- –
- Delivery
- Free over £75
Want to see a specific plant before you buy? Message us and we'll send photos.
- Free UK delivery over £75, heat-packed
- Hand-selected and inspected before dispatch
- Covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee
What collectors say
Care
Light. Bright, indirect light. Variegated tissue carries less chlorophyll and scorches more easily than green, so filter strong sun.
Water and humidity. Keep the substrate evenly moist, never wet. Aim for 60% humidity or higher.
Feeding. A balanced feed programme through spring and summer; ease off in winter.
Dormancy. An Alocasia that drops its leaves in the cold is usually resting, not dead. Keep it warm and barely moist and it will push again.
Delivery and arrival
Plants are dispatched Monday to Thursday only, so they never sit in a depot over a weekend. Every order is sent with a heat pack and packed plastic-free.
Free UK delivery on orders over £75. Unpack on arrival and give your plant a few days of steady conditions to acclimatise.
Every plant is covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. If there's a problem, email sales@thealocasiacompany.co.uk within 7 days of delivery with your order number and clear photos. Please don't repot in those first 7 days, as repotting voids the guarantee.
Pet safety
Like all aroids, this plant contains insoluble calcium oxalate crystals and is toxic if eaten. Keep it out of reach of cats, dogs and children.
About this cultivar
LONGILOBA LAVA KING COBRA
Alocasia Longiloba 'King Cobra'
Looking for Alocasia Longiloba 'King Cobra'? This rare cultivar of Alocasia longiloba is one of the more visually arresting plants in the collector community at present, a form that earns its dramatic name through genuinely exceptional patterning rather than marketing hyperbole.
'King Cobra' is distinguished by its intensified serpentine veining. The silver-green venation that longiloba is already known for is amplified and sharpened here into bold, snake-like markings across deep green foliage. Layered over this is a green-on-green aurea variegation that gives the leaf surface a molten, shifting quality, subtle enough to reward close inspection and pronounced enough to be noticed across a room. It reveals more the longer you look at it, which is exactly what the best collector specimens do. The relationship to the Longiloba Lava form is clear in the leaf character, but 'King Cobra' pushes that patterning into distinct territory.
Alocasia longiloba is a robust and rewarding grower, and 'King Cobra' inherits that vigour. Bright indirect light is essential. It is what keeps the aurea expression vivid and the venation contrast crisp. Dial back the light and the patterning flattens; give it the right conditions and every new leaf is worth waiting for. High humidity and consistent warmth will keep growth steady and strong. A gentle balanced feed programme through the growing season will support the large, bold foliage this cultivar is capable of producing.
All plants are grown in Fluval Stratum, our preferred early-stage medium for corms and baby Alocasia, held in our 3D printed Corm Keeper stand. Once fully rooted and at juvenile size we repot into our own pon mix, blended from components in our Soil Ninja range.
Key features
- Variegation type: green-on-green aurea; molten, lava-like patterning across the leaf surface
- Veining: intensified serpentine silver-green venation; bold snake-like markings
- Leaf form: elongated and bold; characteristic longiloba shape with enhanced patterning
- Light requirements: bright indirect light, essential for aurea expression and venation contrast
- Humidity: prefers 60% or above for consistent, vigorous growth
- Growth habit: strong and rewarding grower; produces impressively marked foliage in good conditions
- Rarity: rare collector cultivar, limited availability
- Collector appeal: statement-level patterning on a well-regarded species form
A plant that justifies the attention it gets in collector circles. Questions before adding 'King Cobra' to your collection? Get in touch, we are always happy to help.
From the nursery
More rare plants
3 leftAlocasia
CHANTRIERI SILVER VARIEGATED
£220
Albo3 leftPhilodendron
TORTUM ALBO VARIEGATED
£99.99
AureaPhilodendron
BILLIETIAE AUREA VARIEGATED
£70
Tri-colourPhilodendron
'WHITE PRINCESS' GALAXY TRI-COLOUR VARIEGATED
£90
Monstera
'DEVIL MONSTER' VARIEGATED
£325
AureaAlocasia
LOWII AUREA VARIEGATED
From £65
Aurea2 leftAlocasia
'BAGINDA' DRAGON SCALE BRIGHT AUREA VARIEGATED
From £65
Albo2 leftAlocasia
CUCULLATA 'CRINKLES' ALBO VARIEGATED
£165