Elaine T wrote:
Lt. Kizhe Catson wrote:

G & K Meyer wrote:

We had been at a garden center that carries pond plants and they had
a number of the elephant ears totally under water and plants where
about 3ft tall and told us that they have never had any trouble with
rot. Could it be the type? There is not a type listed on our
wal-mart bulbs.



Assuming this is Taro, I grow my Black Magic as an emergent, ie. water
over top of the pot and it thrives. I now have about four, two of
them huge. But I realize they also grow out of water, in wet soil.

-- Kizhe


Elephant ear is a Taro relative, but much bigger. It grows to at least
7 feet, with enormous leaves. I don't think it likes wet feet so the
garden center probably has mislabeled Taro as elephant ears.

They're different? I thought they were synonyms, and googling on both
"taro plant" and "elephant ears" only seems to turn up one botanical
name: _Colocasia esculenta_, and that it is grown both in the uplands,
and in marshy areas. Pending better information, I'm afriad I remain
unconvinced.

-- Kizhe