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Colocasia
Colocasia is a genus of herbaceous perennials from Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, grown for its large shield-shaped leaves and edible corms. Common members include C. esculenta (taro) and C. gigantea; they need warm conditions and moist, rich soil, and the genus is toxic to eat raw.
Colocasia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Some species are widely cultivated and naturalized in other tropical and subtropical regions. The species C. esculenta (taro) is invasive in wetlands along the Gulf Coast of the United States, where it threatens to displace native wetland plants.
The names elephant ear and cocoyam are also used for some other large-leaved genera in the Araceae, notably Xanthosoma and Caladium.
C. esculenta and other members of the genus are cultivated as ornamental plants, or for their edible corms, a traditional starch staple in many tropical areas.
The plant can be grown in the ground or in large containers. They are grown outside year-round in subtropical and tropical areas. In temperate regions, they are planted out for the summer and dug up and stored over winter, dry and with ventilation to prevent fungal infection. They can be grown in almost any temperature zone as long as the summer is warm. Growth is best at temperatures between 20 and 30 °C (68 and 86 °F). The plants can be damaged if temperatures fall below 10 °C (50 °F) for more than a few days.
Colocasia species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including two members of Palpifer, P. murinus and P. sexnotatus.
Taro roots and leaves are rich in carbohydrates, protein, and dietary minerals. Micronutrients include iron, copper, magnesium, potassium, and zinc.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Colocasia by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
