Colocasia esculenta
A tropical, large-leaved, tuberous perennial with edible underground corms, widely cultivated as a staple food in tropical Asia and the Pacific and prized for dramatic foliage in warm, humid, consistently moist conditions, with leaves containing calcium oxalate crystals that require thorough cooking to neutralize.
Common Names
Taro, Elephant Ear, Cocoyam, Dasheen, Eddo, Kalo, Imo, Dalo, Yam, Talas
Summary
Taro is a tropical, tuberous, frost-tender perennial in the Araceae family, native to tropical Asia. It typically forms clumps 3–6 ft tall and wide, with large heart- to arrow-shaped leaves on long, stout stalks; leaves reach up to about 60 cm long. Flowers are rarely produced and are yellowish-white. The plant is grown primarily for dramatic tropical foliage and for edible underground tubers, with leaves also edible when cooked; raw parts contain calcium oxalate crystals.
It grows best in warm, humid conditions with rich, moist soil and regular moisture, tolerating wet or flooded soils near water features; light ranges from sun to part shade. Propagation is mainly by division of tubers or offsets; tubers may stay in ground year-round in USDA zones 8–11, while cooler climates require storing them frost-free. In landscapes, it provides ornamental focal points in water margins, large containers, and tropical borders, and is also used as a staple food crop where cooked; all edible parts must be cooked to remove toxins.
Lifecycle
Perennial, Annual
Height
3-6 feet
Spread
3-6 ft
Hardiness Zones
Zones 8-11
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun to partial shade.
Soil Type
Moist, well-drained loam soil rich in organic matter, pH 5.5–6.5
Soil Drainage
Moist but well-drained soil
Soil pH
5.5-6.5 (ideal)
Bloom Color
White, yellow, and green
Bloom Time
Summer (rarely blooms)
Foliage Color
Green in various shades from lime/chartreuse to emerald and dark green; mature foliage can be blue-green or purple-black, and some varieties exhibit white or silvery variegation.
Fall Foliage Color
No fall foliage color; evergreen
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Fast-growing
Seasons of Interest
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Propagation Methods
Seeds; Cuttings; Division; Tubers; Offshoots; Corms; Rhizomes; Suckers
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts bees, butterflies, and flies (including drosophilid flies) as pollinators
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- (L.) Schott
- Publication
- Melet. Bot. : 18 (1832)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Alismatales
- Family
- Araceae
- Genus
- Colocasia
Synonyms
Leucocasia esculenta Aron colocasium Arum colocasia Arum colocasioides Arum esculentum Arum lividum Arum nymphaeifolium Arum peltatum Colocasia antiquorum f. eguimo Colocasia antiquorum f. oyasetage Colocasia antiquorum f. yamamotoi Caladium acre Caladium colocasia Caladium colocasioides Caladium glycyrrhizum Caladium nymphaeifolium Caladium violaceum Caladium violaceum Calla gaby Colocasia antiquorum var. patens Colocasia antiquorum var. rosea Colocasia esculenta f. ebiimo Colocasia antiquorum var. acris Colocasia antiquorum var. esculenta Colocasia antiquorum var. euchlora Colocasia antiquorum var. nymphaeifolia Colocasia esculenta var. acris Colocasia esculenta var. euchlora Colocasia esculenta var. globulifera Colocasia esculenta var. illustris Colocasia acris Colocasia aegyptiaca Colocasia antiquorum var. rupicola Colocasia antiquorum var. stolonifera Colocasia colocasia Colocasia esculenta var. antiquorum Colocasia esculenta var. stolonifera Colocasia formosana Colocasia gracilis Colocasia konishii Colocasia tonoimo Colocasia neocaledonica Colocasia peltata Colocasia vera Colocasia violacea Colocasia vulgaris Alocasia dussii Alocasia illustris Colocasia antiquorum var. aquatilis Caladium atrovirens Caladium divaricatum Caladium parimaense Caladium violaceum var. alboviolaceum Colocasia antiquorum var. typica Colocasia esculenta var. typica Caladium antiquorum Arum chinense Colocasia antiquorum f. acuatica Colocasia antiquorum f. purpurea Colocasia antiquorum var. multifolia Caladium esculentum Colocasia esculenta f. rotundifolia Colocasia antiquorum var. illustris Colocasia esculenta var. nymphaeifolia Colocasia antiquorum var. globulifera Colocasia antiquorum Colocasia esculenta var. aquatilis Colocasia esculenta var. rupicola Colocasia euchlora Colocasia himalensis Colocasia nymphaeifolia Caladium nigrescens Caladium esculentum unr. bataviensis