Alocasia "Calidora" began as a Florida experiment: horticulturist LariAnn Garner crossed Alocasia odora with the cultivar known as A. "California," producing a hybrid of exceptional scale and bearing. The result is a plant with a distinctly architectural vase-shaped habit, sending up long upright stems topped with arrow-shaped ribbed leaves that can reach six feet in length and three feet across. The color is a clean, bright green with a tropical lushness that reads well even at a distance, making it effective as a specimen in an entrance hall, conservatory, or covered patio where the ceiling is high enough to accommodate its ambitions.

Caridora thrives in the warmth between 65 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit, in bright indirect light and fertile, consistently moist but well-drained soil. It is winter-hardy only in Zones 10 to 12, meaning that in most of North America it spends summers outdoors and winters inside, ideally brought in before night temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Fertilize during the growing season every one to two months, then ease off in winter as the plant rests. Division of offsets in spring keeps plants manageable and provides new stock. Every part of the plant is toxic to people and animals, a detail worth noting before placement in a household with curious children or pets.