Botanical Name
Colocasia spp.
Plant Type
Foliage Plant
Sun Exposure
Part Sun
Soil pH
Neutral to Slightly Alkaline
Hardiness Zone
7
8
9
10
11
Subhead
Planting, Growing, and Caring for Elephant Ear Plants
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The dramatic elephant ears plant is a large, tropical foliage plant with magnificent, heart-shaped or arrow-shaped leaves. In colder regions, they need to be dug up and stored before winter arrives. Here’s how to grow and care for elephant ears in yourgarden.
About Elephant EarPlants
Few plants rival elephant ears in making a big impression. With their huge, heart-shaped leaves in dramatic colors, elephant ears are awesome, elegant, and unforgettable. Elephant ear belongs to the genus Colocasia, which are tuberous, frost-tender perennials from tropical Asia. You may be familiar with one species,Colocasia esculenta,by its other name: taro. Taro is an edible root vegetable enjoyed in much of tropical Africa andAsia.
These plantsare accustomed towet areas with the filtered sun of a tropical forest.Therefore, they prefermoist soils and also partial shade. They are good for wet areas along creeks, rain gardens, or low-lyingareas.
If you grow elephant ears in a garden bed, that’s perfectly fine as long as they receive regular moisture and don’t dry out (especially in hot summers)! Being native to tropical environments, these plants thrive in warm, humid conditions and wet environments (Elephant ears look great in a container with other summer bulbs and/orannuals.
In USDA Hardiness Zones 7 to 11, elephant earscan be left outside year-round and are treated as perennials. In colder climates, they are typically treated as annuals and discardedat the end of the growing season. However, you could also dig up the tubers after the first fall frost, store them indoors, and replant them next year after the last springfrost.
Elephant ear leaves can reach lengths of3 feeton top of 3- to 7-foot stems. The leaves usually have prominent veins, and their colors range from lime green to almostblack.
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Planting
How to Plant ElephantEars
- Find a spot with medium to wet soil in part shade or filtered sun. Elephant ear plants will struggle in full sun and drysoil.
- Pick a location protected from strong winds. The large leaves can be damaged by heavygusts.
- Add aged manure or compost to the soil beforeplanting.
- Dig a hole 2 to 4 times larger than thetuber.
- After the threat of frost has passed in the spring, plant the tuber so it sits 1 to 2 inches below thesoil.
- Elephant ears grow best when they’re planted close to thesurface.
- The plant can also be grown in a pond with up to 6” of standingwater.
Planting Elephant Ears inPots
“Elephant ears are also excellent additions for containers. Be sure to choose a heavy container that is at least 18 inches wide and deep or larger,” explains Barbara H. Smith, Horticulture Associate - Agent, HGIC, Clemson University.
lant the corm 4 to 6 inches deep (the bigger the corm, the deeper) in a large container filled with potting mix amended with compost. Set outdoors when temperatures are consistently at least 60°F. If you are adding other plants to the container, consider the exposure that these will need and get, given the size of the elephant ear leaves. Water regularly and heavily, 2 to 3 inches per week or more, especially for container plants in their preferred weatherconditions.
New leaves will appear throughout the growing season. Use a sharp blade to remove dying ones just above the stembase.
Growing
How to Care for ElephantEars
- Don’t let the soil dry out during the active growingseason.
- Water the plants in the morning and water from below to keep water off theleaves.
- Apply a slow-release fertilizer once amonth.
- Cut off faded or browning leaves as needed. Make the cut as close to the tuber aspossible.
- Tubers may be left in the ground year-round in Zones 7 to 11.Add a layer of mulch around the plants in late fall to protect them fromfrost.
- In cooler regions, tubers should be planted in the ground in mid-spring and dug up in fall after the first frost.
- Cut back foliage and allow the tubers to dry for a fewdays.
- Overwinter in an open container (paper bags work well) with peat moss or dry potting soil in a cool dry location (above45°F).
- The plant may be divided in winter or earlyspring.
Overwintering ElephantEars
Elephant ears are tender perennials; temperatures below 68°F can be injurious. To overwinter, remove the foliage, dig up the corm, set it aside to dry, and pack it in dry wood shavings or peat. (Break off any small “offsets”— new plants produced by a mother plant complete with their own roots—on the corm; these can be planted in spring as new plants.) Place in a cool, dry area where the temperature does not fall below 45°F. Alternatively, move the plant in its container indoors to a warm, bright location. Remove all but the two top leaves, reduce watering, and cease fertilizing untilspring.
Types
- ‘Jack’s Giant’ has rich blue-green leaves with chartreuse edges. It grows up to 7 feettall.
- ‘Diamond Head’ has 2 ½-feet long rippled, heart-shaped, purple to blackleaves.
- ‘Pink China’ has green leaves on pinkish stems. It is one of the hardiest elephant ears and may survive in Zone 5 to6.
- ‘Fontanesii’ is a tall hybrid with dark green leaves on purplestems.
- ‘Elena’ has chartreuse leaves with cream-colored petioles that change to purple where they join the leaf to thestalk.
- ‘Hilo Beauty’: irregular cream or yellow flecks on dark green leaves; 2 to 3 feettall
- ‘Low Rider’: compact (dwarf) specimen; heart- or arrowhead-shape, rippled foliage; 1 to 2 feettall
- ‘Stingray’: distinct tail at the end of inward-curving green leaf; 3 to 6 feettall
- ‘Black Magic’: first black cultivar; dusty purple-black leaves (with green undertones in shady conditions) on dark petioles; leaves fold upward; reaches 3 to 6 feet tall andwide
- ‘Coffee Cups’: vigorous hybrid; smaller leaves on very tall, dark petioles with leaves folded upward to form cuplike shapes, which collect and release rainwater; spreads 21/2 to 4feet
- ‘Illustris,’ aka Imperial Taro: black-purple leaves patterned with bright green veins; 3 to 5 feettall
- ‘Nancy’s Revenge’: as the season progresses, leaves change from all green to having centers of butter yellow at the onset of flowering, up to 8 feettall
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Wit and Wisdom
- You can grow the upright elephant ears (Alocasia) indoors as houseplants in bright, indirect light. Grow in a 5-gallon container with rich, moistsoil.
- Elephant ear is grown as a food crop in much of the tropical world and the traditional Polynesian dish poi is made from the tubers. However, note that all parts of the plant are poisonous, unless it is cookedfirst!
- While most plants known as “elephant ears” are members of the genera Alocasia and Colocasia, members of other genera in the family Araceae also are sometimes commonly called by the same designation because of their similarly large, arrowhead- or heart-shape leaves. These include but are not limited to Caladium bicolor, aka C. x hortulanum; Philodendron domesticum, aka P. hastatum of gardens; Xanthosoma lindenii, aka C. lindenii, P. lindenii; and X.violaceum.
Pests/Diseases
Aphids, whiteflies, and spider mites may become aproblem.
Also, look out for corm and root rots, bacterial blight, and mosaic viruses.
Ornamental Gardening
About The Author
Catherine Boeckmann
Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann
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Comments
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Another caution is Elephant Ear is poisonous for dogs. Our puppy love to nibble on grass and fortunately never eat it. I learned this just recently whikr at the Veterinary clinic for vaccines and took note of a poster on the wall showing plants that are poisonous for dogs, and suddenly recognized the Elephant Ear.
An article on dog safe plants or ones to avoid would be very interesting, especially with rise in dog ownership.
Thanks to those who commented and I'd love to read more reactions.
Mike
- Reply
Thanks, Mike! That is a greatsuggestion!
- Reply
Perhaps you could share some directions and/or recipes to turn elephant ears (Taro) into something edible (poi).
- Reply
The root of elephant ear is very toxic to humans. The plant is categorized as an invasive species in the San Marcos River in Texas. It is unconscionable imprudent to foster this aggressive plant anywhere in North America. You should delete any reference to this plant in a favorable format.
- Reply
Actually, it's only toxic if it's consumed without being cooked. It's "taro", or "malanga". You can peel, boil, mash with butter and salt, and eat it perfectly fine. It's actually great for your stomach if it's upset (such as vomitting/diarrhea) and it's filling! Go to your local grocery store/farmer's market and try it. :)
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The leaves are also used in a fantastic Gujarati dish, patra. They consider the leaves good for the gut because of their bitter compounds.
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Uh no. They are fabulous plants and nowhere near invasive. I am in North Texas
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