Scroll to explore forms of Colocasia esculenta
Full Specimen Plate
Colocasia esculenta
Taro / Elephant Ear
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Colocasia esculenta Morphology
About Colocasia esculenta
Colocasia esculenta, Taro, is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world, grown for its starchy corm as a staple food crop across the tropics for thousands of years. As an ornamental it is grown for its immense, heart-shaped, softly matte leaves on tall upright petioles, forming a large architectural clump in the garden or as a houseplant. The plain species is solid green; named colour selections bred from it, most famously the near-black 'Black Magic', have made Colocasia a popular subject for foliage colour breeding, distinct from the closely related but visually different Alocasia genus.
Market Analysis
Colocasia esculenta Price Guide & Auction Value
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Before You Buy
Species-specific things to check when evaluating a listing
- The plain species is inexpensive and widely available as corms or potted plants each spring
- For 'Black Magic' or other named colour selections, confirm the leaf colour in photos matches the named form
- Check corms are firm, not soft or mouldy, if buying bare-root
- All parts contain calcium oxalate crystals and are toxic if ingested raw; keep away from pets and children
Propagation Guide
How to Propagate Colocasia esculenta
1-3 months
Cultivar character is preserved through vegetative cuttings
Produces offset cormlets readily, which separate easily from the parent corm. One of the easiest aroids to divide.
Care Guide
Colocasia esculenta Care Guide & Growing Conditions
Rich, moisture-retentive mix: 50% potting compost, 30% loam, 20% perlite. Tolerates boggy conditions better than most aroids.
Keep consistently moist; this species tolerates and often prefers wetter soil than typical houseplants, even standing water at the base outdoors.
50-70%, tolerates average household humidity well outdoors or in bright rooms.
Balanced liquid fertiliser at full strength every 2-3 weeks during the growing season, a hungry, fast-growing plant.
Annually while actively growing, given its rapid growth and corm expansion.
Common Problems
Yellowing lower leaves
Natural leaf turnover as the plant grows
Remove spent leaves; only investigate if multiple leaves yellow at once
Spider mites
Dry indoor air
Increase humidity and treat with insecticidal soap
Older Than the Houseplant Trade Itself
It's worth remembering, looking at Colocasia esculenta next to the collector aroids elsewhere on this site, that this one has been cultivated as a food crop for thousands of years before anyone thought to sell it as a houseplant: the corm is genuine taro, the base of countless traditional dishes across the tropics. The plain species is solid green, and named colour selections like the near-black 'Black Magic' have been bred from that same base plant rather than existing as separate wild forms. Worth not confusing it with the visually similar but botanically distinct Alocasia, despite the shared 'elephant ear' nickname.
