Life Span
Annual
Annual and Biennials
Type
Tender Perennial
Vegetable
Origin
Southeastern Asia
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Types
Eddoe taro, Dasheen taro
Lagenaria siceraria
Number of Varieties
2002
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
agricultural areas, Hillside, Warm and moist climatic conditions
Moist Soils, Tropical Climate
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-115-7
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-8
12-1
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 22, 23, 24
A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Habit
Clump-Forming
Vining/Climbing
Plant Size
Minimum Height
30.00 cm60.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
30.00 cm90.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Green
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Red
Yellow, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Spring
Dark Green, Ivory
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green, Ivory
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green, Ivory
Green, Dark Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green, Ivory
-
Shape
Leaf Shape
V-Shaped
Palmate
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Partial shade, Full Shade
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Very Fast
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Indeterminate
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Heat Tolerance, Humidity, Salt and Soil Compaction, Shallow soil
Drought
Where to Plant?
Container
Ground
How to Plant?
From Rhizomes
Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs 2-3 times watering per week, Needs a lot of water initially
Requires watering in the growing season, water on alternate days
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Type
Loam, Sand
Loam, Sand
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
Well drained
Sun Exposure
Partial shade, Full Shade
Full Sun
Pruning
-
Cut out old flower stalks, Prune after flowering, Remove branches that rub together, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Less fertilizing
High potassium diluted feed of 5-10-5, Nitrogen, Potassium
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Rats, Snails
Army-worms, Bacteria wilt, Bacterial leaf spot, Blight, Cucumber beetles, Cutworms, Fusarium leaf spot, Leaf rust, Red spider mite, Striped cucumber beetles
Plant Tolerance
Heat Tolerance, Salt and Soil Compaction, Shade areas
Full Sun, Salt and Soil Compaction, Shallow soil
Flowers
Insignificant
Showy
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
Bold
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Aphids, Bugs, Snails
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Allergy
Swelling in mouth, Throat itching
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Decorating walls, Ornamental use
Beauty Benefits
Poison Ivy, Skin cleanser, Weightloss
Anti-ageing, Making cosmetics
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Prevent weeds
Food for animals, Insect Repellent
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Aging, Laxative, Weight loss
Anti-fungal, Blood disorders, Culinary Usage, Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Laxative, Nutritive, Weight loss
Part of Plant Used
Leaf Stalks, Leaves
Fruits
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant
Cosmetics, Culinary use, Repellent, Used in making musical instruments
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Feature Plant, Groundcover, Houseplant, Mixed Border, Tropical
Dried Flower/Everlasting, Vine
Botanical Name
ALOCASIA micholitziana
Lagenaria siceraria
Common Name
Elephant Ear, Taro
calabash, bottle gourd, white-flowered gourd, opo squash
In Hindi
अरवी
लौकी
In German
Colocasia (Pflanzengattung)
Flaschenkürbis
In French
Colocasia
Lagenaria siceraria
In Spanish
Colocasia
Lagenaria siceraria
In Greek
Colocasia
Τσότρα
In Portuguese
Colocasia
Cabaça
In Polish
Kolokazja
Tykwa pospolita
In Latin
Colocasia
utrem cucurbita
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Arales
Cucurbitales
Family
Araceae
Cucurbitaceae
Genus
Alocasia
Coccinia
Clade
Angiosperms, Monocots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Colocasiodeae
-
Subfamily
Aroideae
Papilionoideae
Number of Species
1027
1
27800
👆🏻