Plant of the Week - Episode 609
Other Featured Plants

T-shirt Winners:           
Annemarie Ramierz
Cornelius, NC                           

Alexandra Reynolds 

Common Name:           
Elephant Ear

Scientific Name:           
Colocasia sp.

Common Name:           
Elephant Ear

Elephant ear is the common name for Alocasia, and Colocasia is commonly known as Taro. Since alocasias and colocasias look alike, one is often mistaken for the other. But alocasias have thicker leaves that are often held upright, with petioles attached at the leaf margins. They like to be kept dry and usually need some shade. Colocasias have thinner, papery leaves that are held perpendicular, with petioles attached in the middle of the leaf. (The botanical term is "peltate.") They like to be kept wet and prefer full sunlight.

Type:
Both groups are evergreen perennial plants found in tropical forests in sunny open places or shaded, usually damp sites. Both belong to the Araceae family, originating from South and Southeast Asia.
A growing variety of species and cultivars are being offered. New breeding and selection efforts have brought small and giant habits, spotted and cup-shaped leaves and pink, red, purple and black petioles, stems and blooms.

Foliage:
The leaves of both groups are medium to large and arrow-shaped, with strong veins and fleshy petioles.

Culture:
Many species are root-hardy to Zone 8 and some even to Zone 7. For the rest, you can dig up the rhizomes after the first light frost and store them in a dry, dark place that's cool but above 45 degrees (a crawl space or garage). Both plant groups grow in a wide range of soil and moisture conditions.

Other:
They grow mainly from rhizomes, or horizontal, underground stems that often send out roots and shoots from their nodes. Some grow from tuberous roots. They're all easily propagated by dividing the root ball, rhizomes or tubers. They're resistant to deer, too.