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Category: Bulbs Ponds and Aquatics Tropicals and Tender Perennials
Height: 6-8 ft. (1.8-2.4 m)
Spacing: 15-18 in. (38-45 cm) 18-24 in. (45-60 cm) 24-36 in. (60-90 cm)
Hardiness: USDA Zone 7b: to -14.9 °C (5 °F) USDA Zone 8a: to -12.2 °C (10 °F) 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)
Sun Exposure: Light Shade
Danger: Parts of plant are poisonous if ingested
Bloom Color: Bright Yellow
Bloom Time: Late Spring/Early Summer Mid Summer Late Summer/Early Fall Blooms repeatedly
Foliage: Herbaceous Shiny/Glossy-Textured
Other details: Requires consistently moist soil; do not let dry out between waterings Very high moisture needs; suitable for bogs and water gardens This plant is resistant to deer Suitable for growing in containers
Soil pH requirements: 5.6 to 6.0 (acidic) 6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic) 6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
Patent Information: Non-patented
Propagation Methods: By dividing rhizomes, tubers, corms or bulbs (including offsets)
On Sep 15, 2008, weatherguesser from Salinas, CA (Zone 9b) wrote:
This has been a banner year for all of my elephant ears, but particularly the black stem -- in early spring it spawned an offshoot that's now nearly as large as the parent plant, and just yesterday (September 14) I noticed another shoot coming up about 20 inches away. The original plant also had several blooms this year. This is a very attractive plant, pretty care-free (basically all I've done is water it, feed it occasionally, and pull off the dead leaves), and a real asset to the garden.
On Dec 1, 2004, foodiesleuth from Honomu, HI (Zone 11) wrote:
Our black taro has done extremely well and we mix it into our landscaping. It does not necessarily have to live in wet, boggy areas. We have lots of keiki (baby) plants coming up in other areas as volunteers. I'm posting a photo of our black taro.
I'm from Zone 5, and my Black Stem was huge, and a great conversation plant. It had many babies. For my zone I cut it back to where the last leaf is just read to unfold. Removed the side shoots and just pot up and overwinter it in my basement, giving them enough water to live until spring. After danger of frost, they go back outside again.
This is what I've also done with 'Portadora' and all the rest of my babies - it's a bit more work but they will come back just as beautiful.
On Oct 10, 2004, TXMel from Fort Worth, TX (Zone 7b) wrote:
We have this Taro growing in our pond. Well, it used to grow in our waterfall, then it took over. What creeped outside the falls grew into the surrounding soil and did well. It overwintered fine, and came back this year with no problems. I even dug several up and transplanted them around in different areas as well as giving some to family out of state. All are doing well, growing in the soil, in our heat. We love the tropical look that they give, and how carefree they are!
On Aug 31, 2002, Terry from Murfreesboro, TN (Zone 7a) wrote:
Has been a nice addition to my bog garden this year. Not quite as robust-growing as the plain green Taro, but the stem color is interesting.
Regional...
This plant has been said to grow in the following regions:
, (2 reports) Tuskegee, Alabama Vincent, Alabama Conway, Arkansas Brea, California Clayton, California Fairfield, California Hayward, California Los Angeles, California Paradise, California Salinas, California San Diego, California San Francisco, California San Jose, California San Leandro, California Gainesville, Florida Hollywood, Florida Pebble Creek, Florida Honomu, Hawaii Moline, Illinois Hattiesburg, Mississippi Emerald Isle, North Carolina Raleigh, North Carolina Fruit Hill, Ohio Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Vieques, Puerto Rico Columbia, South Carolina East Sumter, South Carolina Ladys Island, South Carolina Prosperity, South Carolina Desoto, Texas La Porte, Texas Nassau Bay, Texas Pflugerville, Texas Renton, Washington White Center, Washington
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