This is one of the large ones I have - none are as exotic as Barb's last picture. Hopefully you can see which one it is - and tell me if it's a candidate to be left out.
Sorry - it's kind of dark.
For the Elephant Ear people
How do you get roses and elephant ears to grow in the same location? Don't elephant ears like a moist soil and roses don't like wet feet???
Liz, that looks like the 'regular' EE, sorry, don't know the Latin, but looks like what I have and I only lift mine to divide, never for the winter.
So it can survive in the ground in 8+ with mulch? I know it's ordinary - it's my first.
It's in a big pot tucked in behind a Heritage, under a Kousa Dogwood. None of which go together - but when I found it at 6ft for only $8 - it was the only place left.
I'll do better. I know - it shames me to see all your well thought out beds.
But, Liz, your brugs and view are to die for. I don't see anything wrong with the way your ground plants are placed. I'd do it just the same. I've said it before, I'm a "sticker" and if they are lucky to find a home and live, I must have done it right. Just doesn't look fancy around here.
nothing should shame you, you have beautiful gardens!!!! I would think this baby would love being in the ground, and would do fine.
Thanks all, it has pups (or is that just nanas)? My insurance against my lack of knowledge. Now I just need to find the fancy black veined ones up here. Really need deep pockets for our addictions don't we?
Liz, come on down to Mississippi and get some black splochie ee. Just a short drive. LOL I really like the green ee you have planted. They add such a nice structure to any garden.
Thanks all - you guys are so nice and patient.
Hey liz that's a neat Elephant Ear. I have one that I leave in the ground, and it comes back, albeit a bit slow starting...but once it takes off...wow!
pebble, the winter rains don't rot it?
Liz, I'm in Ontario zone 6B. Here I have to dig up my elephant ears ( just the plan green ones like yours) wait til the foliage dies back and store the tuber. In march, I plant it up again in house in front of patio door and by May 24th weekend, I plant it beside pond.
Annie
Liz, I like your gardens too.
I think I have one of these, but do they come in purple? Mine starts out green and then turns purple. I keep it in a pot in the pond or am I growing something else?
Thanks OA - I was hoping seeing as I'm in 8b that I could get away with it. I think this is going to be my next big collecting push.
brugcrazy - the one I brougth up to CR? Mine like it are almost the same size. Big pot - lots of food.
WOW Liz, thats a huge plant.
Will add this on my list for the next few years to get.
Just picking up on some questions to which I know the answers -- it happens rarely enough!
tiG -- The botanical name for common green EEs is Colocasia esculenta.
Joydie -- There are two kinds of purple ones. Both are refered to as black -- C. esculenta "Black Magic," and C. esculenta "Jet Black Wonder." Most people think that those are two names for the same plant, but I've seen them side by side. They do look identical, but they pup differently -- Black Magics pup on stolons (a kind of runner) like spider plants, and Jet Black Wonder pups right off the mother's main stem. I prefer Jet Black Wonder because, over time, with them pupping right against each other, they can make a gorgeous big clump, while Black Magic kind of spaces itself out. On the other hand, if you just want to propagate, it is easier to harvest the Black Magic pups. Lately it seems that most people call them all Black Taro.
There is another called Imperial Black (C. antiquorum illustris) that is the same color but has green veins -- some of them have a green margin all the way around the leaf (giving a window pane effect), and some are dark right up to the edge with the only green being the veins. I haven't heard anyone make any distinction between these (it's a personal observation), but if you are going to get one and you care about the difference, make sure to ask.
Imperial Black only gets to 30", with 18" leaves, but both solid blacks can reach 5' with 2' leaves.
About them surviving the winter, I'm in 7b and the common green EEs usually survive without any problem, but there have been winters that have wiped them out. Also, different EEs have different cold tolerances.
Brugcrazy -- Most people think of Alocasias as smaller than Colocasias (maybe because so many of the little ones are kept as houseplants), but some Alocasias are way bigger than Colocasias. I've seen pictures of some that are 15+ feet tall.
Does anyone know if there are any serious collectors of EEs here? I'd love to find someone to trade with for the hard-to-find ones.
PlanterRik,
Bward is the one to discuss trades with....she has numerous varieties of them. Thank you for posting about the Blacks. I must have the Jet Black Wonder because mine clumps against the mother plant. The Jet Black Wonder has velvety leaves and a purple stem. I have my Jet Black Wonder in a pot in the pond and it does well there.
Now I'm thinking that there might be a solid green in the pot as well. Will have to double check tomorrow and see. besides they have to go up into a much bigger pot as the roots are coming out the bottom by at least 6 inches or so.
I do have the Imperial Black with the glossy leaves with green margins all the way around the edge and window pane effect. The Imperial my grand daughter denuded all the leaves from, but its coming back very nicely now. The Imperial Black also pups against the mother plant forming a clump.
Sounds like I have a lot to learn.
PlanterRik, email me. I have around 10 different types of Alocasias and Colocasias. I just love them and am looking for others I don't have.
Toadlily
Liz,
I'll look today and see if there is a small pup on my Jet Black Wonder, if so you can have one.
I have Black Magic that we sell at the greenhouse(from Agristarts)and it pups right off the mother bulb, only Violet Stem sends out stolons. I also have a Black Magic purchased from VanBloems and it's exactly the same.
Cala I think I better label mine as Black Magic. Two nurseries with the same label can't be wrong.
Sorry folks, but hundreds of nurseries are wrong on this one. In fact, you can hardly find a reference to Jet Black Wonder on the internet anymore, and, when you do, it is as an alternate name for Black Magic -- also wrong.
What I know for sure is that there are two distinct varieties. They may differ in other ways that I do not know about, but the distinction I have observed personally is that Black Magic reproduces on stolons and Jet Black Wonder pups from the mother stem. You can't have one variety that reproduces in two different ways. Such a diffence is too basic.
"Black Magic" has become the popular name. The aroid collectors I know avoid this discussion by calling them both black taro -- while still collecting both varieties for the novelty. If everyone here decides to continue calling them both Black Magic, it won't be any diffent than the rest of the world that doesn't know any better.
Joydie -- My Imperial Blacks (illustris) pup on runners. I wonder if there are two varieties there as well.
Calalily -- Many, if not most, taros pup on runners, not just violet stems. I think there is also a difference between runners and stolons (they look different to me), but I'm not sure how to express it in botanical terms.
I have a black that is a sun lover. Take it out of the sun ans it turns green.
Georgiearedclay,
My purple stem Black starts out green and then gradually turns a very deep purple/black.
As for my Imperial I've also seen it called African Mask. Alyssa plucked all the stems and leaves completely. The plant continues to send up shoots again where the original shoots were. The new baby plant is only less than an inch away...so do you consider that to be a stolen type?
Either way I'm going to just call it Black Taro until it gets sorted out. I recently purchased Taro tubers from the Asian Supermarket and they also have purple stems just poking out of the tuber. I planted them up in pots just to see how they make out.
Yeah, it's sunlight that darkens the blacks. All the leaves are green when they first open. But it doesn't take much light to darken them, and most do better in the shade. The sun can take its toll on black taros, frying the delicate edges of young leaves.
I moved mine to partial shade. They get around an hour or two of direct sun every day. They take longer to darken, but they get just as dark as any others.
So THAT'S what happened to one of my elelphant ear leaves!!
Update on taro tubers from asian grocery....One of the tubers is now well rooted. We've had light rain most days. The other one isn't doing anything yet. I bought a few more small tubers and planted them up in pots as well.
Hi! I'm new here. Just am an Elephant Ear beginner and will definitely look in local stores for stock as everyone seems to do. I can't trade because I'm in California and we have such strict import laws for plants. Does anyone know a good mail order nursery? If nothing else, I love to look at the web sites. Thanks.