Wild Taro
Other Common Names: water taro, dasheen
(Colocasia esculenta)
Non-Native
Wild taro leaf stalks grow directly from the seeds and rarely reach four feet tall. Leaves are succulent and often purplish near the top.
Management Options
Click here for more information on how to control wild taro.
Description
Wild taro leaf stalks grow directly from the seeds, which are bulb like. Leaf stalks can grow as tall as four feet, are succulent, and often purplish near the top. Dark green arrowhead shaped leaves can grow up to six feet long and 20 inches wide. Wild taro rarely flowers outside of its native range, Africa. Wild taro can be confused with elephant ear, but wild taro is much shorter. It doesn’t usually reach four feet tall, and elephant ear can grow up to nine feet tall. Elephant ear’s leaves are lighter green and don’t have purple on them.
Wild taro is not native, but it has been naturalized in much of the United States. The corms (roots) are used by many people in Central and South America for food. The leaves contain oxalic acid which may cause skin irritation.
Location
Wild taro can be found in the southeastern United States and Pennsylvania.
Propagation
seeds, rhizomes
Management Options
Click here for more information on how to control wild taro.