Alocasia plumbea 'Flying Squid' is a very unusual plant: it is basically an almost leafless Alocasia plumbae. Only the stem and main rib of the leaf remain and just the tiniest vestiges of the actual leaf are present. It is most likely a chimera achieved through tissue culture.

Genus name comes form the Greek words a meaning without and Colocasia the name of a closely allied genus, form which it was separated.