It was the striking white veins and rich velvety leaves that started it all.I started seriously collecting tropical plants in 1997 when I got my first Alocasia Frydek "Green Velvet". It wasn't very long before I expanded my tastes began collecting dramatically different alocasia specimens. There is an incredible amount of natural diversity in Alocasia phenotypes and over the past two years my wife and I have focused on collecting specimens with potential for hybridization. My motivation is now driven by the goal to develop new hybrids, in particular new floor specimen plants (4-5ft tall) with large leaves and interesting veination. To this date we have had three successful crosses between plants in the Longiloba complex with some interesting results (take a look in the Hybrids section). A truely grand goal would be to develop a striking floor sized specimen with green velvet leaves and white veins. Perhaps it's possible...Only time, a bit of plant science, and a lot of patience will tell.