Life Span
Annual
Annual
Type
Tender Perennial
Bulb or Corm or Tuber
Origin
Southeastern Asia
South Africa
Types
Eddoe taro, Dasheen taro
-
Number of Varieties
2005
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
agricultural areas, Hillside, Warm and moist climatic conditions
Tropical regions, Well Drained, Wet forest
USDA Hardiness Zone
10-117-11
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
12-8
10-5
Sunset Zone
H1, H2, 22, 23, 24
21,22
Habit
Clump-Forming
Clump-Forming
Plant Size
Minimum Height
30.00 cm45.70 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
30.00 cm2.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White, Green
White, Light Pink, Lavender
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Red
Yellow green
Leaf Color in Spring
Dark Green, Ivory
Blue Green, Gray Green
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green, Ivory
Light Green
Leaf Color in Fall
Dark Green, Ivory
Several shades of Green
Leaf Color in Winter
Dark Green, Ivory
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
V-Shaped
Long Narrow
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Summer
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Partial shade, Full Shade
Full Sun
Growth Rate
Fast
Medium
Type of Soil
Loam, Sand
Loamy, Well drained
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
Neutral
Soil Drainage
Well drained
Well drained
Bloom Time
Indeterminate
Early Summer, Summer
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Heat Tolerance, Humidity, Salt and Soil Compaction, Shallow soil
Dry soil, Shade areas
Where to Plant?
Container
Ground
How to Plant?
From Rhizomes
Budding, From bulbs
Plant Maintenance
Medium
Low
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Needs 2-3 times watering per week, Needs a lot of water initially
Keep ground moist, Never Over-water
In Summer
Lots of watering
Moderate
In Spring
Moderate
Average Water
In Winter
Average Water
Less Watering
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 ocassionally
Fertilizers
All-Purpose Liquid Fertilizer, Less fertilizing
fertilize in fall, Nitrogen
Pests and Diseases
Aphids, Rats, Snails
Bacterial leaf spot, Nematodes, Purple Blotch, Red blotch, Seedcorn maggot
Plant Tolerance
Heat Tolerance, Salt and Soil Compaction, Shade areas
Dry soil, Shade areas
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
Medium
Foliage Sheen
Glossy
Matte
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
Aphids, Bugs, Snails
Bugs, Flying insects, Insects
Allergy
Swelling in mouth, Throat itching
Dermatitis, Pain and fatigue
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
Showy Purposes
Showy Purposes, Used in parkland
Beauty Benefits
Poison Ivy, Skin cleanser, Weightloss
Acne, For treating wrinkles, Making cosmetics, Removes pimples
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
No fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides needed, Prevent weeds
Indoor Air Purification, Insect Repellent
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Aging, Laxative, Weight loss
Acne, Aging, Antidepressant, epilepsy, Nerve pain, Obesity, Vomiting
Part of Plant Used
Leaf Stalks, Leaves
Bulbs
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used as Ornamental plant
Animal Feed, Can be made into a herbal tea, Oil is used in mosquito repellents, Use in Chinese herbology, Used as Ornamental plant, Used for its medicinal properties
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Container, Feature Plant, Groundcover, Houseplant, Mixed Border, Tropical
Edible, Herb / Vegetable
Botanical Name
ALOCASIA micholitziana
TULBAGHIA violacea
Common Name
Elephant Ear, Taro
Society Garlic
In Hindi
अरवी
लहसुन
In German
Colocasia (Pflanzengattung)
Knoblauch
In French
Colocasia
Ail
In Spanish
Colocasia
Ajo
In Greek
Colocasia
σκόρδο
In Portuguese
Colocasia
alho
In Polish
Kolokazja
czosnek
In Latin
Colocasia
allium
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Magnoliophyta
Class
Liliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Arales
Liliales
Family
Araceae
Liliaceae
Genus
Alocasia
Allium
Clade
Angiosperms, Monocots
Monocotyledonous
Tribe
Colocasiodeae
-
Subfamily
Aroideae
Lilioideae
Number of Species
10500
1
27800
👆🏻