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Elephant Ear |
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Taro |
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Kalo |
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Dasheen |
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Elephant's Ear |
Colocasia esculenta | Accepted |
Colocasia esculenta var. esculenta | Synonym |
Colocasia antiquorum | Synonym |
Colocasia euchlora | Synonym |
Plant Habit: | Herb/Forb |
Life cycle: | Perennial |
Sun Requirements: | Full Sun to Partial Shade Partial or Dappled Shade |
Minimum cold hardiness: | Zone 8b -9.4 °C (15 °F) to -6.7 °C (20 °F) |
Plant Height: | 3 to 6 feet (.9-1.8m) |
Plant Spread: | 3 to 6 feet (.9-1.8m) |
Leaves: | Unusual foliage color Other: To around 3' long. |
Fruit: | Other: Green |
Flowers: | Showy |
Flower Color: | Other: Yellow to yellow-white spathe. |
Bloom Size: | 6"-12" |
Flower Time: | Other: Seasonal |
Underground structures: | Tuber |
Suitable Locations: | Bog gardening |
Uses: | Water gardens Vegetable Will Naturalize |
Eating Methods: | Cooked |
Resistances: | Deer Resistant Rabbit Resistant Humidity tolerant |
Toxicity: | Other: All parts of plant contain calcium oxalate crystals, an irritant to the mouth and esophagus. Toxic to cats and dogs. |
Propagation: Seeds: | Other info: Remove seed from berry which contains chemicals that inhibit germination. |
Propagation: Other methods: | Division Stolons and runners Offsets |
Containers: | Suitable in 3 gallon or larger |
Miscellaneous: | Goes Dormant |
Conservation status: | Least Concern (LC) |
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(Full article • 14 comments)
(17)
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Posted by eclayne (Pioneer Valley south, MA, USA - Zone 6a) on Dec 7, 2011 6:56 PM In the 5 month growing season here the largest tubers of the type I have produce 6'+H plants with leaves around 3'L. I plant in late May and lift after the frost has knocked them down (usually mid-October). They do fine in full sun to part shade but do best with lots of water. The newer leaves seem to have more marbling in part sun/shade. I also don't believe you can feed them too much. Easy to store dry over winter while dormant. [ Reply to this comment | |
Posted by sallyg (central Maryland) on Oct 16, 2018 4:59 PM I bought a grocery store edo/eddo and grew it into a potted plant. That variety seems smaller in size/stature than some. It grew to about 3 feet tall. First winter, I guess I kept it growing in the basement. Second summer, it grew well but on pulling it, I found no tuber left, only two tiny new tubers offsetting from the two stems. I potted the tiny tubers to keep growing but discarded the tops. [ Reply to this comment | |
Posted by janelp_lee (Toronto, Ontario - Zone 6a) on Feb 26, 2021 2:52 PM To those gardeners who love to grow this plant, you can go to your local Asian supermarket to get the large taro bulb. They cost about $4-$5 dollars each. Each bulb is about 2+ to 3+ pounds in weight. You can cut the peel (keep the peel thick for propagation use) and cook the flesh in rice soup or in sweet syrup as dessert. The small bumps on the thick peel will grow into a small plant if planted in moist soil and kept in warm location. If not eating the flesh, just keep the bulb planted and it will grow several plants soon. If you purchase a bulb from garden center/nurseries, the price usually will be around $10 for a fist-sized bulb. [ Reply to this comment | |
Thread Title | Last Reply | Replies |
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That looks weird... by Swayback | Sep 29, 2013 6:47 PM | 0 |
Cupped leaves by eclayne | Jul 7, 2014 6:33 AM | 2 |
Thriving on neglect by psa | Sep 11, 2020 5:49 AM | 2 |
Purple flower that does not attract bees by newgardenerSD | Sep 1, 2020 4:32 PM | 3 |
Growing Aroids in 8b? by cupbeep | Aug 11, 2020 10:24 AM | 5 |
Type of Elephant ears plant I have by waavman | Jul 17, 2020 8:31 AM | 8 |
Identify my plant???? by Cajun1 | May 29, 2020 1:21 PM | 10 |
"The X-Plants", The beast yet beauty by tofitropic | Jun 23, 2020 7:12 PM | 18 |
Unknown alocasia by florange | Apr 23, 2020 6:22 PM | 14 |
Aroid of the Day: Alocasia cuprea K. Koch by Gina1960 | Sep 29, 2020 5:53 AM | 48 |
Show your pretty variegated foliage! by plantladylin | Nov 27, 2019 3:40 AM | 137 |
name of plant by Dianaaam | Sep 3, 2019 12:21 PM | 2 |
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