Native Elephant Ear (Alocasia brisbanensis) NEW

Alocasia brisbanensis – Cunjevoi / Native Elephant Ear

Caution: all parts of the plant should be considered toxic if ingested, particularly by children and pets. It is best appreciated as a beautiful native ornamental rather than a food plant.

Alocasia brisbanensis is a striking Australian native commonly known as Cunjevoi or Native Elephant Ear. It is naturally found in rainforests and moist forests of eastern Australia, particularly throughout Queensland and into northern New South Wales. With its large, glossy, elephant-ear-shaped leaves and clumping growth habit, it makes an excellent tropical feature plant for shady gardens, rainforest plantings and around water features. It thrives in warm, humid conditions with plenty of moisture and filtered light, and can develop into an impressive understory plant.

Despite its edible-looking appearance and resemblance to taro, Cunjevoi should not be confused with edible taro (Colocasia esculenta). The plant contains calcium oxalate crystals, which can cause intense irritation and swelling of the mouth, tongue and throat if eaten. 

In a permaculture system, Cunjevoi can be particularly useful as a chop-and-drop, biomass accumulator in wetter, shaded areas. Its large leaves produce substantial amounts of organic material that can be cut and laid directly around other plants as mulch, helping suppress weeds, retain moisture and protect the soil. As the leaves decompose, that biomass is returned to the soil, contributing organic matter and helping cycle nutrients back through the garden. This makes Cunjevoi a useful plant for building soil, maintaining ground cover and producing biomass without needing to remove it from the system.