My guess is that this is Taro but I'm just guessing. What do you think?

Not taro as I recognize it. The elephant ears (Colocasia) are typically considered among the forms of taro but yours is not an EE.

Looks more like an Alocasia tuber.

My first thought was a Sweet Potato Vine of some sort, possibly Dioscorea batatas: Chinese Yam (Dioscorea polystachya)

... it looks like it's vining. It sure is pretty whatever it is!

I think Chinese yam....Dioscorea opposita....is correct. It looks like the pictures on google....it is Dioscorea oppositifolia on the data base.

Good ID. Looks like we need some photos in the database.

When adding this to the data base what would you call the first picture. Bulb is the closest possibility on the site but I would say tuber but it isn't listed.

In the databox, the section titled "Underground Structures" has a box to mark "Tuber" .

I would click the listing for bulb since tuber isn't one of the options.

I thought I had posted another comment above but I must have not hit the finished button so it was lost.


There are three entry's/listings in the database for this plant.

D. opposita
D. oppositifolia
Chinese Wild Yam, D. oppositifolia

http://garden.org/plants/brows...

Looking at the ITIS website I do not find a D. opposita, only oppositifolia which is the accepted name. I've submitted a proposal to have the duplicates deleted.

SongofJoy said:In the databox, the section titled "Underground Structures" has a box to mark "Tuber" .

Thank you Tee ... I forgot about that!

OK...I still have lots to learn....what is the 'databox'?

It's the long box where you input the data about the plant. It says "Edit data details" in the sidebar on the right in a plant's entry..

Someone told me a few years ago about a difference in alocasia
and colocasia. They said that on one type the leaves pointed up
and on the other type the leaves pointed down. Is this correct?

Thanks for any help,
Louise

No it's not correct Louise, but you are close. It's to do with where the stem joins the leaves I think, it was Brian Williams who mentioned this on DG. Alocasia is cut into the point where the stem joins the leaf where Colocasia is not so deeply cut.

http://www.google.co.uk/search...

http://www.google.co.uk/search...

JR,
OMG, I didn't know that there were so many varieties.
I only have four but I want to buy the African Mask and
the Black Magic.

Thanks so much for the links,
Louise

An easy way to remember the difference between Alocasia and Colocasia: A is sharp and C is round

Thanks for the memory trick.
I hope I'm understanding where to look.

LM

Look at where the stem meets the leaf in these two pics....Alocasia and Colocasia.. the top part of the Alocasia leaf is deeply cut into a V and the leaf and stem meet very close to the bottom of that V. The Colocasia has a much rounder leaf top and more of a U shape with the stem attaching further into the leaf.

Thanks soooo much for clearing up the differences in my
mind. I would have begun to look at the base of the leaf stem
where it joins the main stalk. Lots to learn…..….

LM