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The inflorescences are the typical aroid type with a white to yellow or light green spathe surrounding the spadix. Some types of elephant ears also produce smaller tubers or “cormels” (also called “eddos”) which grow off the sides of the main corm.Īlthough elephant ears are grown primarily as foliage plants, they can bloom – but flowers are not common in the Midwest.

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The lumpy corms with rough ridges have a brown skin and a white or pink interior. These plants generally grow from corms (commonly called bulbs, although they are not true bulbs),īut some types also produce long, slender stolons (above ground runners), and others do not form corms. The leaves of Alocasia and Xanthosoma are usually not peltate and are held more upright.

The petiole attaches near the center of the lower surface of the leaf (peltate) and the leaves are held perpendicular to the upright petiole with the leaves facing upward or outward.Īlocasia calidora showing upright leaves on long petioles. The leaves are held on the end of long, thick, succulent petioles coming directly from the underground corm. The leaves are held on the end of long petioles coming directly from the underground corm. In their native habitat the smooth, waxy leaves will grow 3 feet long and 2 feet wide or more (depending on the species) but they tend to be much smaller when grown as a seasonal plant. In the Midwestern garden these plants are grown for their flat sagittate (arrow- or heart-shaped) leaves that often have prominent veins. In cooler climates elephant ears are grown for their large leaves. This species naturalizes readily in wetlands in mild climates and is considered an invasive species along the Gulf Coast. It has been cultivated in Asia and Polynesia for thousands of years, with over 200 cultivars selected for culinary or ornamental characteristics. One of the most widely grown species is C.esculenta, called taro and many other common names. The leaves are edible, but they (and all parts of the plant) contain needle-like crystals of calcium oxalate which are a skin irritant, so they must be cooked first.įields of taro, Colocasia esculenta, in Hawaii. Taro ( Colocasia esculenta) tubers (L) and tannia or tiquisque ( Xanthosoma sagittifolium) tubers (C) for sale in a Costa Rican market, and Alocasia tubers for sale in Fiji. Many of the species have long been grown for the edible starchy corms or tubers as an important staple food in tropical regions. The first two genera are native to tropical southern Asia, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Guinea, parts of Australia, or the Pacific Islands, while Xanthosoma is native to tropical America. Most of these herbaceous species in the arum or aroid family (Araceae) that are offered as ornamentals belong to the genera Colocasia, Alocasia, and Xanthosoma, although there are others that have similar appearance and growth habits.Īn Alocasia growing in Fiji along a roadside. “Elephant ears” is the common name for a group of tropical perennial plants grown for their large, heart-shaped leaves. Elephant ears is the common name for a group of tropical perennial plants grown for their large, heart-shaped leaves.