Colocasia, Elephant Ear, Taro, Super Size Elephant Ear 'Thailand Giant Strain'
Colocasia gigantea
| Family: | Araceae (a-RAY-see-ee) (Info) |
| Genus: | Colocasia (kol-oh-KAY-see-uh) (Info) |
| Species: | gigantea (jy-GAN-tee-uh) (Info) |
| Cultivar: | Thailand Giant Strain |
Category:
Bulbs
Ponds and Aquatics
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
Sun Exposure:
Sun to Partial Shade
Light Shade
Foliage:
Grown for foliage
Deciduous
Herbaceous
Foliage Color:
Bronze
Height:
8-10 ft. (2.4-3 m)
Spacing:
8-10 ft. (2.4-3 m)
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)
Where to Grow:
Grow outdoors year-round in hardiness zone
Danger:
All parts of plant are poisonous if ingested
Bloom Color:
White/Near White
Bloom Characteristics:
Flowers are showy
Bloom Size:
4"-5"
Bloom Time:
Late Summer/Early Fall
Other details:
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)
Seed Collecting:
Regional
This plant has been said to grow in the following regions:
Chico, California
Garden Grove, California
Long Beach, California
Crawfordville, Florida
Dunnellon, Florida
Fort Myers, Florida
Lakeland, Florida
Largo, Florida
Port Charlotte, Florida
Sarasota, Florida
Canton, Georgia
Woodstock, Georgia
Chicago, Illinois
Villa Park, Illinois
Fairfield, Iowa
ST JOHN, Mississippi
Toms River, New Jersey
Atkinson, North Carolina
Elizabeth City, North Carolina
Huntersville, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina(2 reports)
Southern Pines, North Carolina
Cincinnati, Ohio
Perrysburg, Ohio
Ladys Island, South Carolina
Lexington, South Carolina
Sumter, South Carolina
Lake City, Tennessee
Louisville, Tennessee
Bedford, Texas
Colleyville, Texas
Dripping Springs, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Hurst, Texas
Richmond, Texas
St John, Virgin Islands
show allGardeners' Notes:
| Rating | Content |
|---|---|
| Positive | On Jul 22, 2016, snorky1 from Tallahassee, FL wrote: fast growing with very large results,seems bug resistant. others have said shade to partial sun but mine seems to enjoy full sun since were i planted it it gets full sun from 11am to 5 pm throwing new leaves every few days and doubled in size every month. you must take serious consideration were you plant it and how you plant it do to its size, water and nutritional needs. our little one loves to go out to it every other day and say look a new leaf!! its big!! and then say wow!! i think this is the best part :) |
| Neutral | On Jul 9, 2016, DawnandGreg from Birmingham, Hi I live in Birmingham England and have purchased these seeds, could anyone advise me when and how and where to plant these seeds please. Thanks in advance. |
| Positive | On May 21, 2016, vossner from Richmond, TX (Zone 9a) wrote: I've been growing this plant for six years. It has not expanded much, wished it had. I love it. Planted inground, moist area, mostly shade. |
| Positive | On May 19, 2014, jv123 from Washougal, WA (Zone 8b) wrote: Very easy to start from seed. Just lay a seed on moist compost and keep it moist. In three months it will go from a seed the size of a grain of sand to a foot tall. Then in another three months it'll be giant! |
| Positive | On Jul 3, 2012, henryr10 from Cincinnati, OH (Zone 6b) wrote: We have grown Colocasia gigantea for a while. |
| Positive | On Jan 9, 2012, Jim_n_LB from Long Beach, CA wrote: Didn't really know what I was purchasing, but looked good. Two years later - amazing! Brown trunk is 3" tall and overall plant reaches nearly 12'. Planted east side of house, Long Beach, California |
| Positive | On Apr 5, 2010, stella from Raleigh, NC (Zone 7a) wrote: In North Carolina, we can keep this zone 8b plant alive over the winter by covering it with 1' of leaves and stuff during the winter. It does not start growing again until July, but by September it is huge! |
| Positive | On May 12, 2009, WendyKellyBudd from Chico, CA wrote: I bought the tiniest start from an ebay seller last year. Potted it into a 24" pot, placed it under an oak tree where it gets direct morning sun and in the afternoon has bright light, but no direct sun. Summers are hot, and dry here. Also, keep it out of winds so the leaves don't shread. |
| Positive | On Nov 23, 2008, keonikale from Lexington, SC (Zone 8a) wrote: This is one of our favorite colocasia. It grows extremely fast and the leaves get quite large within just a few months. Spath's will bloom in rows of four and produce large seed pods (if pollinated) beneath each spath. Once they burst you can harvest the seeds, which will be in dozens (if not hundreds) of small "pouches." Each pouch holds dozens of tiny tomato sized seeds that can be planted and will sprout within 2-3 weeks. By three months they'll often have 3-4 leaves and be well on their way to becoming adults in another growing season or two. |
| Neutral | On Jan 20, 2006, Suze_ from (Zone 7b) wrote: This huge strain of the giant elephant ear was grown from wild collected seed (PES 1003B) from Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand, in 2003 by former PDN research manager Petra Schmidt. In the wild, the plants reached a massive 9' tall, which is much larger than the clone of C. gigantea that we currently grow. For us, each individual leaf grows in excess of 5' long x 4' wide. Each seedling will differ slightly, but massive plants will be the result. In foliage, the leaves are an attractive glaucous-grey which is typical of this species. From an early age, the plants are adorned with clusters of dramatically large, pleasantly scented, white flowers. |
