This amazing plant with its massive leaves looking like elephant ears is one that makes a triumphant statement and with its heart-shaped leaves will captivate your heart into seeing the beauty in this plant. Colocasia is a genus of herbaceous perennials famed for their large foliage which come in a variety of shades and in some different patterns. Their leaves are heart-shaped, thin, and rubbery. Originating from Southeastern Asia, these plants enjoy loamy, fertile soil and tropical climates. They can be grown in full sun to part shade and make a very interesting accent to any garden and an amazing statement in any garden. Different species or varieties can have different characteristics such as stalk color, foliage color, and size. The largest Colocasia is C. gigantea 'Thailand Giant' which can have stalks that are 6 inches wide at the base and support leaves that can grow from 2-4 feet long. These plants are tuberous and are known to be used in some traditional Asian cuisine. All parts of the plant are poisonous while raw, but once cooked the tubers are edible. Colocasia is a tender perennial that cannot survive winter months in many places. In USDA Zones outside of 7b-10 you should either use this plant as an annual or dig up the tuber after the first frost and overwinter it in a cool dry area (possibly in dry wood shavings or peat) where the temperature does not fall below 45 ° F. The tuber should then be planted again in late April. A possibly easier method is to treat Colocasia as a container plant and move the container inside during the winter given that you have space for such a large container. These plants can be propagated by their corms by dividing them and placing them in a large 1-gallon pot with rich peat-growing media and applying consistent moisture. This plant (which is a perennial herb) can be used as a houseplant/ interiorscape or used in the landscape as a cultivated, tender or hardy bulb. Its hardiness is tender, injured below 68 degrees F (20 degrees C). They will need 6 feet of space. Although this plant is a large plant much like the elephant its beauty is magnificent and one to be admired. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: This species isinvasive in wetlands along the American G ulf Coast, where it threatens to displace native wetland plants No known diseases or insect pests. Additional Colocasia Images at Juniper Level Botanic Garden
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil drainage
Occasionally Wet
Available space
3 feet-6 feet
Mature size
Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in. | Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in.
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Ascending; Broad
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Black; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf shape
Cordate
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Smooth
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, > 6 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Leaves can vary in colors from green with light veins, to a more neon veins, to even dark black with pale white veins. Leaves are very large (generally up to 3 feet), arrow-shaped, and are long-stalked.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Flower form
Spadix
Flower detail
This plant has flowers in a spadix with a greenish or yellow spathe.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Tropical & Subtropical Asia
Distribution
Central and northern South America, Texas and the gulf states, Hawaii, Australia, central Africa, Japan and Korea.
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Tubers
Edibility
The whole plant (all parts of the plant) are poisonous if uncooked/ raw, but once cooked the tubers are edible: tuber used in Asian cuisine when cooked. Use salted water and boil for at least one hour. They are rich in vitamins A and C and they have more protein, phosphorus and calcium than a regular potato. Their starch is easily digested so it is often used in infant formulas as a first baby food.
Uses (ethnobotany)
Commercially grown as a food crop in Hawaii (poi is made from the tubers) where it is commonly called taro.
Poisonous through ingestion. All parts are poisonous if ingested unless cooked first. Symptoms may include burning and swelling of lips, mouth, tongue, and throat, and difficulty of speech.