Elephant Ears, or Taro, has also been called the potato of the tropics. There are over 200 different cultivars of taro, giving many different looks and textures to a garden.
How to Plant and Use Taro
Taro has the ability to get eight feet tall with an equal spread if the conditions in which it is planted are ideal. Taro will do well in rich slightly acidic soils that are kept wet. It should be in partial shade, but can still live in full sun if you put it in plenty of water. It is typically more of a wetland plant so keep in water that is about a foot deep so that you can maximize the beauty of the plant. It will have these huge heart shaped leaves that will give the appearance of elephant ears, hence the common name. It is perennial and will grow well in USDA hardy zones of eight to eleven. Outside of these zones and the plant will take on annual qualities instead of perennial. Either way, it is a fast grower and will not take much time to see the results.
Taro History
Taro plants have been grown and harvested for over 6,000 years. The history of the plant estimates its first nativity to Malaysia and then cultivated in China and Japan as both ornamental and as a food crop. Historically, both the Greeks and the Romans have shown to have used Taro as an important root crop for their populations.
Taro Warnings
- Taro has calcium oxalate in the raw form, but it is destroyed by cooking. Still it is part of the plant and a factor if there are grazing livestock, horses, or animals nearby.
- The sap of the Taro can be a skin irritant, so those with especially sensitive skin will need to look out for that.
- If any of the Taro is eaten before it is cooked, and cooked properly, it will cause a severe stomach cramp. Do not eat unless the items are cooked, and cooked by someone that knows how to cook Taro.
- Taro is invasive and there are some plant communities and areas that will frown upon it being planted. Check with local planting agencies and make sure that it is going to be ok in the setting it is going to be intended for.
Scientific Classification of Taro
- Kingdom Plantae – Plants
- Subkingdom Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
- Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants
- Division Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
- Class Liliopsida – Monocotyledons
- Subclass Arecidae
- Order Arales
- Family Araceae – Arum family
- Genus Colocasia Schott – colocasia
- Species Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott – taro
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