Life Span
Annual
Annual and Biennials
Type
Tender Perennial
Vegetable
Origin
Southeastern Asia
India, Philippines, Southeast Asia
Types
Eddoe taro, Dasheen taro
Not Available
Number of Varieties
Not Available
Habitat
agricultural areas, Hillside, Warm and moist climatic conditions
Moist Soils, Tropical Climate
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-11
5-7
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
Flower Color
White, Green
Yellow, Orange, Dark Green
Flower Color Modifier
Not Available
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
Not Available
Leaf Shape
V-Shaped
Palmate
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer, Fall
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
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 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 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
No pruning needed
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
Not Available
Single
Foliage Texture
Bold
Coarse
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Attracts
Aphids, Bugs, Not Available, Snails
Bees, Flies, Flying insects
Allergy
Swelling in mouth, Throat itching
Hypoglycaemic Coma, Irregular Heart Rhythm
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Decorating walls, Ornamental use
Beauty Benefits
Poison Ivy, Skin cleanser, Weightloss
Anti-ageing, Making cosmetics
Environmental Uses
No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Prevent weeds
Food for animals, Insect Repellent
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
No
No
Used As Outdoor Plant
Yes
Yes
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 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
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Magnoliopsida
Order
Arales
Cucurbitales
Family
Araceae
Cucurbitaceae
Clade
Angiosperms, Monocots
Angiosperms, Eudicots, Rosids
Tribe
Colocasiodeae
Not Available
Subfamily
Aroideae
Papilionoideae
Importance of Taro and Bottle Gourd
Want to have the most appropriate plant for your garden? You might want to know the importance of Taro and Bottle Gourd. Basically, these two plants vary in many aspects. Compare Taro and Bottle Gourd as they differ in many characteristics such as their life, care, benefits, facts, etc. Every gardener must at least have the slightest clue about the plants he wants to plant in his garden. Compare their benefits, which differ in many ways like facts and uses. The medicinal use of Taro is Aging, Laxative and Weight loss whereas of Bottle Gourd is Anti-fungal, Blood disorders, Culinary Usage, Diabetes, Gastrointestinal disorders, Laxative, Nutritive and Weight loss. Taro has beauty benefits as follows: Poison Ivy, Skin cleanser and Weightloss while Bottle Gourd has beauty benefits as follows: Poison Ivy, Skin cleanser and Weightloss.
Compare Facts of Taro vs Bottle Gourd
How to choose the best garden plant for your garden depending upon its facts? Here garden plant comparison will help you to solve this query. Compare the facts of Taro vs Bottle Gourd and know which one to choose. As garden plants have benefits and other uses, allergy is also a major drawback of plants for some people. Allergic reactions of Taro are Swelling in mouth and Throat itching whereas of Bottle Gourd have Hypoglycaemic Coma and Irregular Heart Rhythm respectively. Having a fruit bearing plant in your garden can be a plus point of your garden. Taro has no showy fruits and Bottle Gourd has showy fruits. Also Taro is not flowering and Bottle Gourd is not flowering . You can compare Taro and Bottle Gourd facts and facts of other plants too.