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Elephant Ear
Colocasia
Elephant Ear is grown for its foliage rather than flowers, giving the garden structure and color all season long.
Mature size, hardiness zones, sun and the trait tags were checked against named botanical sources for this plant. The bloom months and water need on this page were not.
Growing Elephant Ear
Plant it in part sun. It prefers high water. It is hardy in USDA zones 8–11. Expect it to reach about 3.9 ft tall and 3.3 ft wide at maturity, in roughly 1 year.
Comes in 6 varieties
Same plant, same care - pick the variety you are growing.
Good to know about Elephant Ear
Curated from university extensions, botanic gardens and other primary sources, with the source named on every note.
Safety
Toxic to dogs, cats, horses and people. Every part holds insoluble calcium oxalate crystals that burn and swell the mouth, tongue, and throat when chewed. per ASPCA
Worth knowing
This is the food crop taro (dasheen), yet every part is poisonous raw. Only thorough cooking, drying, or steeping neutralizes the irritant, making the corm edible. per NC State
Cold hardiness varies by cultivar
Most types are tender to about zone 8a and must be lifted and stored, but a few cultivars like 'Pink China' survive to zone 6b. per Wisconsin
Grows in standing water
It tolerates wetter ground than most ornamentals: happy in boggy soil, at pond and rain-garden margins, and even in a few inches of standing water. per NC State
Invasive in warm, wet regions
In mild, wet climates it escapes and chokes wetlands, forming dense 'wild taro' stands along the US Gulf Coast. Keep it clear of natural waterways. per Florida
Deer and rabbit resistant
Deer and rabbits leave it alone: the same acrid calcium oxalate that makes it toxic deters browsers, though very hungry wildlife may still sample it. per NC State
Lift the tuber for winter
In cold climates, lift the tuber after the first frost blackens the leaves: cut back, dig, dry it several days, then store dry at about 45 to 55 F. per Clemson
What pairs well with Elephant Ear
Good companions share its growing conditions and add something it lacks: an earlier or later bloom, a lower carpet in front, or structure through winter.
Sweet Alyssum
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate to high water; low at 5 in, to carpet the ground beneath.
Calibrachoa
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate to high water; lower at 8 in, for the front of the border.
Fan Flower
Takes full sun to part sun and moderate to high water; lower at 8 in, for the front of the border.
Joe Pye Weed
Takes full sun to part sun and high water; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; they only overlap in zones 8 to 9.
Hellebore
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate to high water; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; lower at 1.3 ft, for the front of the border; they only overlap in zones 8 to 9.
Autumn Fern
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate to high water; evergreen, so the bed keeps its shape through winter; lower at 1.6 ft, for the front of the border; they only overlap in zones 8 to 9.
Japanese Forest Grass
Takes part sun to part shade and moderate to high water; its seed heads stand through winter, for structure and the birds; lower at 1.3 ft, for the front of the border; they only overlap in zones 8 to 9.
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FoliageDesign a garden with this
Drop this plant onto a 3D plan, see how it fills in, and watch your whole garden bloom across the year.