Hi all,

I could really use your help on this one. I searched the web and couldn't find a clear answer anywhere, didn't find much else on the Mickey Mouse plant either. In addition to the question in the title, is this a hybrid? Is the variegation man-made or natural in this plant? I've been looking for one of these for months now at a decent price and finally scored. One more question, sorry. My other Alocasia's do not go dormant (indoors year round), will this plant go completely dormant, or just possibly slow its growth? Gina and others please help. Thanks.

'Mickey Mouse' is a Xanthosoma, a mutation of sagittifoliam. Some people call it 'Albo-marginata' and others call it 'Monstrosa'. It might or might NOT go completely dormant in winter, I have a ton of Xanthosomas in my yard and some of them go down and some don't. But it, like Alocasia, is more of a light dependent thing as opposed to a warm temperature thing.

This plant has been around for many years, it was first introduced over 15 years ago and despite all the people on the net calling it 'RARE' and even 'SUPER RARE' its not. Its usually available down here in the Southern states (here in Florida anyhow) pretty readily.

This was a spontaneous mutation if my memory serves that was propagated and proven pretty stable. The leaf morphology on this plant can be variable...some of the leaves will be significantly distorted, and some will be pretty normal. If grown in optimum conditions, like many other Xanthosoma, it can get VERY large, I have had specimens that were almost 5 ft tall with very large leaves before.

It does not want to freeze, of course. In the growing season in Spring and Summer it loves a LOT of water (when it is planted in the ground...maybe not so much in a container).

There is a 'normal' version of albomarginated Xanthosoma as well. The leaf shape is normal sagittifolium. But the variegation is hit and miss, and the white parts seem to melt. They don't on Mickey Mouse. Its nicknamed Mickey Mouse because in the most extreme distorted leaves they look like the outline of the Mickey Mouse head. Let me see if I can find a photo of my big ones

This is the normal form of Albomarginated X. sagg


This is Mickey

Wow!

Thanks Gina, I knew I could count on you. Hope my little guy looks like yours in the pic when it gets bigger. I went elephant ears this year. The others I bought a few months back are doing well which include a Alocasia Metallica, Black Stem, and Regal Shields. Thanks again for clearing up the Mickey Mickey plant for me. You know how people on the web call a Split-leaf philodendron a Monstera.

Any time. I don;t always know the answer, but if I do I will tell ya!

GIna, I have a Pineapple Princess, a non-stonoliferous colocasia, and it had beautiful huge leaves earlier in the season. Now it is just a mess of tiny leaves. I believe it put all its strength into producing a bunch of new bulbs and I should seperate them - but when? Now or springtime? This was the plant earlier this year.

That's one of my favorites. Colocasia will sometimes go dormant this time of year even down South, but definitely sometimes will up here. I'd stop watering it if possible (unless its in the ground then we can't LOL) and separate in Spring. I keep come containers of colocasias out in the front in the summer and they always start shrinking around now. I take them and put them in a corner of the greenhouse and leave them there until Spring

Thanks Gina, it is in the ground and although our drainage is excellent we have just had so darn much rain, everything stays too wet. Maybe I will dig up a couple little bulbs and pot them for the winter just as insurance in case the parent bulbs rot.

hello everyone, i've been lurking in the tropical forum for a couple of days. i usually hangout only in the iris forum. but i am looking for a specific cordyline fruticosa. consequently, i've been cruising around the various posts. i'm looking for a pink cordyline fruticosa 'alba rosea'. it's leaves are like the pink portion of this green and pink one i own; it's called 'rainbow juno'.
anyway, on to why i am posting.

i hope someone on this tropical forum can steer me to someone who might like to trade "logs". lol(haha)

i grow xanthosoma 'mickey mouse' in my garden in northern san diego county. the leaves on the plant are still growing, this year, and we're almost into december. usually by november, the plants have gone dormant.

however, our days have been hovering in the mid to lower 60's and our nights have been dropping to the 40's. (i purchased this plant locally, but this nursery sells over the internet as well. i've done business with them since the early 1970's http://www.kartuz.com/).

in past years, the xanthosoma, have died back and have gone dormant when the daytime weather dips to the 40's.

though we rarely freeze, we have had tiny 1/4 " hail stones fall in late december through february. usually, this happens in the evenings, and the ice melts almost as soon as it hits the ground.

we live in a coastal, desert community, but our county has many, many microclimates. we do get the 90-100 degree weather in the summer, which usually lasts for a week to 10 days. but, others on nga who live east and south of us, are 10 -20 degrees cooler and hotter. i checked, and our average annual high is 68 f/20c, and our annual average low is 55 f/ 12.78c .

hopefully, someone on the tropical forum can help me find 'alba rosea'.

i'll return tomorrow to post the pictures of 'mickey mouse'; if they haven't wilted in tonight's chill.