Colocasia esculenta - Taro

The Colocasia esculenta 'Illustris' is a variety of Taro or Elephant Ear. It develops large heart-shaped or lance-shaped leaves carried by long petioles. They are bright green with large purple-black patches. The visual result is a very dark leaf, veined with lime green. No two leaves are alike. Spectacular, this tropical plant loves water edges but also thrives indoors, provided it is bright and warm. In the ground, it is cultivated in partial shade in our rare regions spared by frost.

Undoubtedly originating from India and tropical Asia, the Colocasia esculenta spread long ago to tropical regions of South America and Oceania and later to tropical Africa. This perennial rhizomatous plant is a cousin of Arums and the Monstera deliciosa and belongs to the Arum family. With a slight tendency to sucker, this perennial herbaceous plant develops from a tuberous rhizome, forming a scaly corm covered with a thick skin. The mature plant is a large spreading clump that will measure, on average, 1.50 m in height and 80 cm in diameter at the base. It consists of magnificent peltate foliage, slightly elongated heart-shaped, light and bright green, veined with more or less blue-grey tinged with tender green. The leaf blade can reach 60 cm in length and 40 cm in width, carried by a violet-brown petiole, sheathing at the base. The leaf surface allows water to slide off; it has good water-repellent properties. During its growth, the plant branches out from the base and produces numerous sucker tubers that give rise to vigorous young plants. By removing an old leaf, two new ones take its place. Flowering occurs on mature plants in yellow spathes, mostly in summer.

'Illustris' stands out for the dramatic colour of its leaves, between this almost blackish purple and this bright green that, by contrast, appears practically fluorescent. On many leaves, green is mainly visible on the veins of the blade and at the petiole level. The size of the leaves is roughly the same as in the species, but they can sometimes reach up to 90 cm in length! Depending on the conditions, the plant reaches between 90 cm and 1.50 m in height and 90 cm to 1.20 m in width.

The Colocasia esculenta 'Illustris', also known as edible taro or Chinese cabbage, is a large perennial that thrives in waterlogged soil and is widely cultivated in tropical regions for its edible tuber. It is grown in containers on the terrace during summer and then moved to a veranda in winter. Still, its hardiness could allow it to withstand the mildest Mediterranean climates on the banks of a water feature, where it appreciates waterlogged and rich soils. A spectacular tropical plant brings a strongly exotic touch to the garden. Planted in partial shade, it becomes a focal point in a contemporary or exotic setting, combined with bamboo, hibiscus, a banana tree, or a Tetrapanax papyfera. Arums, Gunnera, and Dicksonia antarctica also come to mind. It is also an excellent indoor plant, just like the Monstera deliciosa.

Taro is consumed in Africa, China, Polynesia, and other parts of the world. Its tubers are rich in starch, and its young leaves are consumed like spinach.