Life Span
Perennial
Annual
Type
Grass
Tender Perennial
Origin
Southeastern Asia, Melanesia, Micronesia
Southeastern Asia
Types
Saccharum officinarum
Eddoe taro, Dasheen taro
Number of Varieties
36200
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
agricultural areas, Wet lands
agricultural areas, Hillside, Warm and moist climatic conditions
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-1510-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12 - 9
12-8
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 8, 9, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
H1, H2, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
30.00 cm30.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
180.00 cm30.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White hair and some brown spots on margins and at tips
White, Green
Flower Color Modifier
Bicolor
-
Fruit Color
-
Red
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
Dark Green, Ivory
Leaf Color in Summer
Light Green
Dark Green, Ivory
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
Dark Green, Ivory
Leaf Color in Winter
Green
Dark Green, Ivory
Shape
Leaf Shape
Acicular
V-Shaped
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Summer, Fall
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun
Partial shade, Full Shade
Growth Rate
Very Fast
Fast
Type of Soil
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Drainage
Average
Well drained
Bloom Time
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Wet Site, Drought
Heat Tolerance, Humidity, Salt and Soil Compaction, Shallow soil
Where to Plant?
Ground
Container
How to Plant?
Seedlings, Stem Cutting
From Rhizomes
Plant Maintenance
High
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Water Deeply
Needs 2-3 times watering per week, Needs a lot of water initially
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral, Alkaline
Acidic, Neutral
Soil Type
Clay, Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Average
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Partial shade, Full Shade
Pruning
Prune ocassionally, Remove dead branches, Remove Ferns
-
Fertilizers
Equal amount of N,P,K, fertilize in growing season
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Less fertilizing
Pests and Diseases
Beetles, Fusarium root rot, Head smut
Aphids, Rats, Snails
Plant Tolerance
Heat Tolerance, Shade areas
Heat Tolerance, Salt and Soil Compaction, Shade areas
Flowers
Showy
Insignificant
Flower Petal Number
Single
-
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Coarse
Bold
Foliage Sheen
Matte
Glossy
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Butterflies, Rats, Squirrels
Aphids, Bugs, Snails
Allergy
Diabetes, Sleepiness
Swelling in mouth, Throat itching
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Showy Purposes
Beauty Benefits
Maintains teeth healthy, Making cosmetics
Poison Ivy, Skin cleanser, Weightloss
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
Food for animals, Food for birds
No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Prevent weeds
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Aging, Antidepressant, Aphrodisiac, Appetite enhancer, Diuretic, Fatigue, Muscle Pain, Nutrients
Aging, Laxative, Weight loss
Part of Plant Used
Leaf Stalks, Leaves, Stem
Leaf Stalks, Leaves
Other Uses
Animal Feed, Biomass for fuel, Can be made into a herbal tea, Food for animals, Sometimes used for making wine
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Edible, Feature Plant, Tropical
Container, Feature Plant, Groundcover, Houseplant, Mixed Border, Tropical
Botanical Name
SACCHARUM officinarum
ALOCASIA micholitziana
Common Name
Sugarcane
Elephant Ear, Taro
In Hindi
गन्ना
अरवी
In German
Saccharum
Colocasia (Pflanzengattung)
In French
Canne à sucre
Colocasia
In Spanish
Saccharum
Colocasia
In Greek
Saccharum
Colocasia
In Portuguese
Cana-de-açúcar
Colocasia
In Polish
Saccharum
Kolokazja
In Latin
Saccharum
Colocasia
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Cyperales
Arales
Family
Poaceae
Araceae
Genus
Saccharum
Alocasia
Clade
Commelinids, Monocots
Angiosperms, Monocots
Tribe
Andropogoneae
Colocasiodeae
Subfamily
Panicoideae
Aroideae
Number of Species
3610
1
27800
👆🏻