taro
Colocasia esculenta
USDA zones8 to 10
SunHandles full sun to partial shade
WaterHandles moderate to wet soil
Size3 to 5 feet tall2 to 4 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Habit
- Clumping
- Bloom color
- Yellow, green, white
- Foliage color
- Cream/tan, green, purple/lavender, red/burgundy, variegated
- Soil types
- Loam, clay
Garden uses
Notes
Taro (Colocasia esculenta) is a bulb for food gardens, specimen planting, accents, and rain gardens. It is hardy to USDA zone 8, or down to 10°F (-12°C). This plant likes full sun to part shade and average to wet, loamy or clay soil. It grows in a clump 36 to 60 inches tall. Its leaves come in green, purple, red, and variegated forms. Deer and rabbits tend to pass it by.
Pairs well with Golden club, Virginia sweetspire, and Karl Foerster feather reed grass.
Native range
India to Southern China and Sumatera.