Bulb · Araceae
Elephant Ear
Colocasia esculenta
Keep its feet wet in rich soil and good light, and elephant ear will reward you with huge tropical leaves all season long.
Full sun
45–86°F · 7–30°C
USDA 8–11
3–6 ft · 0.9–1.8 m
Overview
If you have ever wanted a touch of the tropics without a fuss, elephant ear is a wonderful place to start. Its huge, heart-shaped leaves can reach past 3 feet (91 cm) and sway on tall stalks over a pond or a damp corner of the garden. It is part of the arum family and grows from a plump corm, the very same plant the kitchen calls taro.
This is a plant that loves warm, wet ground, and it asks for very little once it is happy. Within its hardy range of zones 8 to 11 it comes back each year on its own, and where winters bite it is simply grown as an annual or brought indoors for the cold months. It even welcomes a little standing water at a pond edge, so there is no need to worry about overwatering.
As long as you never let it go thirsty, you will find elephant ear forgiving and easy to please. Keep the soil good and damp, feed it through the warm season, and tuck it away from harsh wind, and it will give you a bold, fast clump of leaves. Just remember that every raw part is toxic, so choose a spot that keeps it clear of curious pets and little ones.
Care
The short version: give it rich, always-damp soil that never dries out, full sun to part shade, plenty of warmth, and a monthly feed through spring and summer, then lift the corms before frost where it cannot stay out all year.
Light
Elephant ear is happiest in full sun, yet it takes part sun or part shade in good stride too. More light brings the richest, biggest leaves, but if your summers run hot, a bit of afternoon shade will keep the foliage from scorching, so do not fret over giving it some shelter.
Water
This is the one thing to get right, and it is an easy one. The plant wants constantly wet, boggy soil and should never dry out, and it will even sit content as a pond marginal in up to 6 inches of standing water. The more sun and heat it gets, the more it will drink, so keep that watering can handy.
Soil
Give it fertile, humus-rich clay or loam that holds onto moisture, the sort of damp ground most plants would sulk in. It takes the odd flood without complaint, which is just why it feels so at home along a pond edge.
Temperature
It likes things warm, doing well from about 45°F to 86°F (7°C to 30°C), and its growth eases off as the air cools. There is no frost tolerance here at all, so the first freeze closes the season above ground, which is nothing to worry about as long as you save the corms.
Humidity
Coming from steamy tropical ground, it adores high humidity. Moist air keeps those broad leaves from drying at the edges, and it is one more reason the plant settles in so happily near water.
Feeding
All through spring and summer, while it is busy growing, treat it to a balanced fertilizer once a month. Rich soil and a steady feed are what power those oversized leaves, and your plant will thank you for it.
Pruning
There is hardly any work here, just a little tidying. Snip away tattered, yellowing, or frost-damaged leaves as you spot them, and shield the plant from strong wind, which can tear the big soft leaves.
Repotting
Divide and repot the corms in spring as the clumps grow full. Crowded corms, smaller leaves, or a clump pushing up out of the pot are friendly signs that it is time to split it and give it room to stretch.
Size & spacing
Leave it plenty of elbow room, because a grown clump reaches 3 to 6 feet (91 to 183 cm) tall and just as wide. Setting plants well apart lets those huge leaves spread out in comfort without crowding their neighbors.
When to plant
Elephant ear thrives on warmth and will not stand any frost, so timing is kind and simple. Set the corms out in mid-spring once the soil has warmed and the cold has passed, let the leaves fill in through the warm months, and gently dig the corms back up before the first fall frost wherever the plant is not hardy.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: Plant corms in mid-spring after the soil warms and frost danger has passed
- Harvest: Rarely flowers in cultivation (yellowish-white spathe); grown as a foliage plant
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 8–11
Temperature: down to -12°C
Troubleshooting
Elephant ear is an easygoing plant with very few pests, so when something looks off it almost always comes down to dryness or cold. Take a calm look at the leaves and the cause is usually clear. Find what matches below, make a small adjustment, and the plant will bounce right back.
Browning, scorched leaf edges with wilting leaves
Do not worry, this almost always just means the bog plant has run short of water. Elephant ear likes its soil wet at all times, and under full hot sun it dries quickly and the big leaves crisp at the edges. Water it deeply, add a layer of mulch to hold the moisture in, and offer some afternoon shade where summers are fierce, and it will recover.
Fix:
- Water deeply and keep soil consistently wet
- Mulch to retain moisture
- Provide afternoon shade in hot climates
Leaves collapse and blacken after a cold night
This is simply frost damage, which shows the moment a tropical plant meets freezing air. That first fall frost will blacken the leaves overnight, but the plant itself is not lost. Cut back the spoiled foliage, then lift the corms and store them somewhere cool and dry above 45°F (7°C) until spring brings new growth.
Fix:
- Cut back damaged foliage
- Dig corms after first frost and overwinter in a cool, dry place above 45°F
Toxicity
It helps to know up front that no raw part of this plant belongs near a mouth. The leaves, stems, and corm hold insoluble calcium oxalate crystals that sting and swell the mouth and throat the moment they are chewed, and that swelling can turn serious. It can harm cats, dogs, horses, and people the same way, though the corm becomes edible taro once it is cooked through, so simply keep the raw plant out of reach of pets, livestock, and children.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Moderate
A cat that nibbles a leaf gets a quick, painful sting in the mouth, so watch gently for heavy drooling, pawing at the face, a swollen mouth and tongue, vomiting, and trouble swallowing.
Dogs Moderate
The crystals burn a dog's mouth on contact, so most will spit the plant out fast. Drooling, retching, a swollen tongue, and difficulty swallowing tend to follow soon after.
Horses Moderate
A grazing horse feels the same searing of the mouth and lips, with drooling and a reluctance to eat as the swelling sets in.
Rabbits Toxic
Those same raphides irritate a rabbit's mouth and gut, and such a small animal has little room to spare, so please keep elephant ear well out of reach of any rabbit.
Livestock Toxic
Cattle, goats, and sheep that browse the raw leaves take painful mouth swelling and digestive upset, and they may turn away from food while their mouth heals.
Birds Toxic
A curious bird that pecks at the leaves gets the same caustic burn to the mouth and crop, so treat the whole raw plant as off limits to them.
People Caution
Raw, every part stings the mouth and throat and can swell the airway, so this is never a salad green. The corm becomes the edible taro only after thorough cooking in salted water, and cooked well it is safe, while raw it is not.
Wear gloves when dividing corms; plant sap and raphides can irritate skin and mucous membranes.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
Most of the loved elephant ears are chosen for their dark, dramatic leaves. These are the ones you will come across most often, and any of them makes a lovely choice.
'Black Magic'
You get dusky purple-black leaves on matching dark stems, giving the whole plant a near-charcoal mood.
'Illustris'
Its dark, almost black leaves are traced with bright green veins that glow against the deep background.
'Black Coral'
Look for glossy, ruffled foliage in a deep blue-black that catches and plays with the light.
'Mojito'
Its green leaves come flecked and splashed at random with dark purple-black, so no two ever look quite the same.
How to propagate
Making more elephant ears is about as easy as gardening gets, since the plant spreads through its own corms. With a little patience you can turn one clump into several without any special skill.
DivisionEasy
Spring, as new growth begins · A few weeks to establish in warm, moist conditions
The friendliest way to make more is to split a clump in spring just as fresh growth appears. Ease the corms apart, pot them in rich, peaty mix, and keep them steadily moist. Given some warmth they will settle in within a few weeks, so be patient and they will take.
Bulbs & cormsEasy
Plant corms in mid-spring after frost · Sprouts and establishes over several weeks once soil is warm
You can also begin with stored corms set out in mid-spring, once frost has passed and the soil is warm. They will sprout and root over several weeks. Where winters are colder than its hardy range, simply lift the corms each fall and keep them above 45°F (7°C) through the season.
Myths
Elephant ear and taro are poisonous, so they can never be eaten.
Raw, the plant truly is unsafe, since insoluble calcium oxalate raphides burn the mouth. Yet the corm is a beloved staple across the tropics and the taro behind Hawaiian poi, once it has cooked through in salted water. Cooking is what makes it safe to eat, and raw it always stays poisonous.