I have this plant for more than 3 years, it has been bigger, but in its winter storage the bulb had partly rotten. It recovered nicely though..
I got it from my trip to Brazil, found in the wild where many were growing close to a river in the rainforest of Paraty (Rio State).

Looks like one to me!

As a matter of fact it looks alot like one I have, it was sold to me as lime zinger but it's not!

It does emerge yellowish but fades to green...mine gets very lumpy leaves once mature, it's hard to describe, maybe I can uncover a leaf out in my jungle and get a lumpy leaf pic...

Thank you Swayback! I've been googling Xanthosoma aurea 'Lime Ginger', and it does look like my plant!
But I think it will be another species as the Flora do Brasil, doesn't mention Xanthosoma .aurea occurring in that area of Brazil.

http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov....

5 different species are mentioned, I googled them all and the two left candidates are; Xanthosoma maximilianii and Xanthosoma pentaphyllum..

I think it has to be Xanthosoma maximilianii, as I found a botanically identified specimen of X. pentaphyllum which doesn't look like my plant.
http://plants.jstor.org/specim...

Definitely Xanthosoma. Myriam, your link to the Flora comes up blank for me, but when I do a search for Xanthosoma, leaving all other fields blank, there are many more than 5 results. Goncalves lists the following cultivated Xanthosoma as native to Brazil.
X. appendiculatum. Easy to ID because it has a little leafy appendage on the underside.
X. atrovirens (not native but at the Sitio Roberto Burle Marx
X. blandum
X. brasiliense (not yours, leaves almost tripartite, lobes almost separate or separate).
X. riedelianum (not yours, leaves constricted at base of lobes)
X. taioba (possible)

Xanthosoma maximiliani is also a Brazil native. I find it spelled Xanthosoma maximilianii as well as Xanthosoma maximilianum. Same author, publication and date are cited. I guess I should get those into our DB.

You can find good, reliable photos of Xanthosoma here: http://www.aroidpictures.fr/GE...

Thank you Evan for your research!



I have made a screenshot of the Flora do Brasil page (sometimes the site is not reachable, maybe because they're working on it)



I didn't find any reliable photos on the web of Xanthosma taioba, but info that its habitat is tropical dry forest, so I can exlude that one too, as my plant is found in the rain forest.
http://e-monocot.org/taxon/urn...

So what's left I think is Xanthosoma maximillianii .., don't you think we could take the Flora do Brasil as the authority for its spelling and also for the listed species?

I just saw now that Xanthosoma maximilianii is also stated as growing in dry tropical forest according to the monocot site! That makes no sense!

I do wonder if Xanthosoma taioba is the now accepted name for Xanthosopa saggitifolium which would become synonym. Whatever I search on the web with X.taibo I get X.sagitifolium instead!
And strangely enough the Flora do Brasil does not list X.sagitifolium any longer and I'm am very sure it was listed some months ago where I searched last, the list was also longer then! They also have renewed their site!

I see I have to select Busca state, where you photographed yours? Thanks. Goncalves review hasn't been reflected in databases yet but may be in the Flora. As to the name Xanthosoma maximiliani, the original description is by Schott so I don't think the Flora should necessarily take precedence over Kew WCSPF, Tropicos, ... The different spellings should help in a search though. In his review of X. sagittifolium he notes that it is the most misunderstood of the species. Not present in Brazil. Noting "...that this species should be conserved and better studied." Based upon the original description, his research seems to imply none of us are growing it and the plants are misidentified as such fairly universally. X. taioba (no synonyms noted).

As long as they are out of the direct sun, several xanthosoma can tolerate dry conditions, much better than colocasia species!
Here's a few pics if mine, sorry the lights bad, it was dark, but I think the lumpiness is illustrated well enough





I didn't dive into googling all the xanthosoma yet, but Evan has a pretty keen eye, and really good handle on nomenclature!

SO sorry Evan, I gave you a wrong screen shot! The Rio State is in the South-East of Brasil, but the list of species is the same..
This should be the right one..


and when I click on X.taioba I get this:


It also seems to occur in savanna areas that explains what Swayback says that it also thrives in drier conditions..
Probably it is wiser to call mine Xanthosma sp.?
Maybe we could have a parent page for Xanthosoma?

Thanks Swayback for your photos, your Xanthosoa looks a happy plant!

Here's the parent plant Myriam. Elephant Ears (Xanthosoma) (Xanthosoma)
The IAS is supposed to be adding digital images to they're Gallery page. I've asked they add Goncalves' images that go along with his article. Color pics would help.

Thanks Evan!

I'll post my picture on the parent plant.
Funny I had been searching too on the Kew's site but the system isn't very user friendly, couldn't find any Xanthosoma specie illustrated in their herbarium...
I hadn't checked Tropicos though..
Forgot to thank you for the link of reliable photos of Xanthosoma sps!