Colocasia

About Colocasia

Colocasia is a Southeast Asian and Indian-subcontinent genus of large, peltate-leaved aroids, cultivated worldwide both as the food crop taro (C. esculenta) and, in this catalogue, for ornamental colour selections of that same species: near-black, variegated, or pink-stemmed forms bred for foliage rather than the edible corm.

Care notes

• Colocasia esculenta cultivars grow from a central corm and often go dormant, losing all leaves, over a cool or dry winter; this is normal corm behaviour, not plant death, and new growth resumes as conditions warm.
• The near-black cultivars (Black Magic, Diamond Head, Fontanesii) hold their darkest colour under strong light; in lower light, new leaves often emerge noticeably greener.
• Large peltate leaves need consistently moist soil: Colocasia is more tolerant of wet, poorly-drained conditions than most aroids in this catalogue, reflecting its use as a semi-aquatic food crop in cultivation.