Alocasia Species, Upright Elephant Ear, Elephant's Ear, Giant Taro, Wild Taro

Alocasiamacrorrhizos

Family
Araceae (a-RAY-see-ee)
Genus
Alocasia (a-loh-KAY-see-uh)
Species
macrorrhizos (mak-roh-RY-zos)
Synonym
Alocasia crassifolia
Alocasia indica
Alocasia macrorrhiza
Alocasia plumbea
Colocasia indica
Sun Exposure
Sun to Partial Shade
Light Shade
Partial to Full Shade
Full Shade
Foliage
Grown for foliage
Evergreen
Herbaceous
This plant is resistant to deer
Smooth
Height
4-6 ft. (1.2-1.8 m)
Spacing
24-36 in. (60-90 cm)
Hardiness
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 °C (15 °F)
USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 °C (20 °F)
USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F)
USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 °C (30 °F)
USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 °C (35 °F)
USDA Zone 11: above 4.5 °C (40 °F)
Danger
Handling plant may cause skin irritation or allergic reaction
Bloom Color
Cream/Tan
Bloom Time
Blooms all year
Other Details
Category
Bulbs
Tropicals and Tender Perennials
Water Requirements
Requires consistently moist soil; do not let dry out between waterings
Very high moisture needs; suitable for bogs and water gardens
Foliage Color
Chartreuse/Yellow
Where to Grow
Suitable for growing in containers
Bloom Characteristics
Bloom Size
Other details
Soil pH requirements
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
Patent Information
Non-patented
Propagation Methods
By dividing the rootball
By dividing rhizomes, tubers, corms or bulbs (including offsets)
Seed Collecting
Allow unblemished fruit to ripen; clean and dry seeds
Regional

This plant is said to grow outdoors in the following regions:

Montevallo, Alabama

Vincent, Alabama

Glendale, Arizona

Brentwood, California

Calabasas, California

Hayward, California

Oceanside, California

Perris, California

Temecula, California

Van Nuys, California

Big Pine Key, Florida

Dunnellon, Florida

Fernandina Beach, Florida

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Melbourne, Florida

Old Town, Florida

Orange Springs, Florida

Pensacola, Florida

Rockledge, Florida

Sarasota, Florida

Seffner, Florida

Sun City Center, Florida

Titusville, Florida

West Palm Beach, Florida

Winter Haven, Florida

Yulee, Florida

Savannah, Georgia

Agana Heights, Guam

Hawaiian Paradise Park, Hawaii

Keaau, Hawaii

Orchidlands Estates, Hawaii

Mount Prospect, Illinois

Murphysboro, Illinois

Tiline, Kentucky

Denham Springs, Louisiana

Geismar, Louisiana

Gonzales, Louisiana

Luling, Louisiana

Marrero, Louisiana(2 reports)

New Orleans, Louisiana(2 reports)

Plain Dealing, Louisiana

Thibodaux, Louisiana

Vacherie, Louisiana

Clinton, Mississippi

Saucier, Mississippi

Toomsuba, Mississippi

Springfield, Missouri

Levittown, New York

Poughkeepsie, New York

Staten Island, New York

Elizabeth City, North Carolina

Huntersville, North Carolina

Lake Toxaway, North Carolina

Cincinnati, Ohio

Conneaut, Ohio

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma(2 reports)

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Beaufort, South Carolina(2 reports)

Bluffton, South Carolina

Columbia, South Carolina(2 reports)

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

Inman, South Carolina

Johns Island, South Carolina

Lexington, South Carolina(2 reports)

Moncks Corner, South Carolina

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

North Augusta, South Carolina

Sumter, South Carolina

Henderson, Tennessee

Arlington, Texas

Brazoria, Texas

Coppell, Texas

Corpus Christi, Texas

Fort Worth, Texas

Hempstead, Texas

Kerrville, Texas

Lufkin, Texas

Mansfield, Texas

Mc Kinney, Texas

Jonesville, Virginia

show all

Featured Videos

Gardener's Notes:

16
positives
4
neutrals
1
negative
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P
Sacramento, CA | May 2017 | positive

This is a lovely fast grower but it really doesn't live up to the hype unless you live in at least zone 10 or take very strong winter pre...Read More

C
Cypress, TX | November 2015 | negative

Cypress, Texas. Planted this 2 ft plant in May. Five months later with alternating days watering, it is now seven feet tall. Almost no pr...Read More

J
Inman, SC | June 2013 | positive

Bought this plant this past spring in a warmer zone in our state and brought it to the Upstate, zone 7b, and planted it in the muddy marg...Read More

B
Irving, TX (Zone 8a) | October 2010 | positive

This is a cool plant. It takes a daily heavy watering and weekly fertilizing to grow well. I saved the bulbs at the base of the leaves ...Read More

M
Yulee, FL (Zone 9a) | October 2009 | positive

I have moved mine a couple of time to find the right spot. There was no tuber, only a large mass of very large roots. The leaves point sk...Read More

C
McKinney, TX (Zone 8a) | April 2009 | positive

Fast growing large glossy green upright leaves once it sprouts, easily reach 8-10 feet with right conditions in one season. In areas of ...Read More

K
Luling, LA | June 2007 | positive

I was given an Elephant Ear plant a few weeks ago, and don't know why but the leaves keep turning yellow. It's one leaf at a time. I'm no...Read More

B
Hayward, CA | March 2007 | positive

This might be the most misidentified plant on Dave's Garden. I think less than half the photos are of A.macrorrhizos- not sure what the o...Read More


Editor's Note

We make every effort to safeguard against incorrect images in PlantFile. Here is the peer-review process that should be followed in any situation involving potentially misidentified images.

The questionable image should be first brought to the photographer's attention for input and discussion. That can be accomplished by sending them a dmail message or by clicking on the discussion thread link beneath each photo when it's expanded to full size and adding a post with your questions and concerns.

Once the error is confirmed, it should be reported to the PF admin team via the red "Report an error" button that appears on each page of PlantFiles, preferably by the photographer. They can ask to have their photo moved to the correct PlantFile entry, or removed if it cannot be positively identified.

L
Central, AL (Zone 7b) | March 2007 | positive

I've planted this huge Elephant Ears in a semi-shade south facing front door. Here in zone 7b, SE USA. It thrives and appeared to get b...Read More

W
Jones Creek, TX (Zone 9a) | June 2006 | positive

I have had this plant about 3-4 years and every year it surprised me with it amazing growth. This is the first year it had seed and I alm...Read More

F
Pompano Beach, FL (Zone 10b) | June 2005 | positive

2 of these plants are growing successfully in full sun in my garden along the southeast coast of Florida. I water it once a week if neces...Read More

B
B
Finchville, KY (Zone 6a) | February 2005 | positive

I live in Finchville, Ky just 25 miles from Louisville, Ky and a friend several years ago gave us an Elephant Ear Plant. We actually star...Read More

N
Boca Raton, FL (Zone 10a) | September 2004 | positive

The Upright Elephant Ear or Wild Taro or Giant Taro is a very attractive species great for decoration uses in fish or koi ponds, lakes, a...Read More

A
Murphysboro, IL (Zone 7a) | August 2004 | positive

I love the look of Elephant Ears, which serve as perennials here in the southern tip of Illinois. They definitely add a 'tropical' look t...Read More

A
Islamorada, FL | November 2003 | positive

The 2 most common types are Plumbea nigra (black/purple stems) And Plumbea Zebrina (striped stems) Both however have the same leaf as sho...Read More

T
Piedmont, MO (Zone 6a) | September 2003 | neutral

There are many "elephant ear" look alikes. One way to tell Colocasia from Alocasia, Xanthosoma, and others is that Colocasia is peltate (...Read More

S
Old Town, FL | September 2003 | positive

All my relatives in South Louisiana had this plant in their yards, and my Mother grew it too as it was cheap to buy the readily available...Read More

T
Rockledge, FL (Zone 10a) | August 2003 | neutral

Bright red-colored seeds are located at the tip of the Spathe and are covered within a conical shroud. The shroud then peels off to expos...Read More

P
Birmingham, AL (Zone 7b) | April 2003 | neutral

There are many aroids that are similar in appearance. The photograph posted by easter is a Xanthosoma sagittifolia (not A. macrorrhiza)....Read More


Editor's Note

The photos referred to in this comment have either been moved or removed. All error reports should be directed to the PF admin team via the red "Report an error" link, rather than submitted like this comment. That will ensure the PF administrators are aware of the error report and can correct it; it also avoids confusion once the error is corrected.

A
A
Jonesboro, GA (Zone 7b) | September 2002 | positive

An Elephant Ear with large fan like leaves, growing in an up-right direction. An attractive tropical plant, may be potted.

J
Northern Piedmont, NC (Zone 7b) | August 2001 | neutral

Alocasias are tender tropical plants which grow from rhizomes. They are commonly known as Elephant Ears or African Masks and are grown...Read More

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