Can anyone tell me the differences between alocasia and colocasia- and why are they both called elephant ears? It gets confusing, ya know.
I think they are so pretty and I want to try to grow some this year. Don't know which one would do the best for my hot, humid, dry summers.
Is the culture similar to that of caladiums? If so then I guess I can't grow them as I can't keep caladiums alive all summer.
THANKS!!
PLEASE don't laugh but...
Don't know the difference, sorry! I think the EE's are MUCH easier to grow and keep alive than calaciums, but I'm in NY. Very differenct climes.
Great question........
I know one of the experts will be by in no time to answer you better. In the mean time here is a cool site I found regarding that very question....sort of.
http://mgonline.com/alocasia.html
edited for fat finger typos......................
This message was edited Feb 6, 2005 6:22 PM
I thought the difference was edibility?
Great link Marc, of course now I want them all!
I always wondered about that comparison too....E
I do know that in zone 7, I have to bring all the alocasias inside to overwinter. Most of the colocasias overwinter in the ground if given some protection.
the easiest way to tell them apart is alocasia usually has upright leaves anf colocasia has more of a right angle. this dosan't seem to be the case allways but its a good indicator. as for climate both can be found in the same climates. im in 6 a and i have to dig them up but alocasia amazonica and Macrorrhiza or colocasia gigantea or portadora are all real easy to grow and the later 3 are Huge.
THANKS all for the info!
several types of aroids are called elephant ears..because they all have similar large leaves. Alocasia,colocasias,and Xanthosomas. The differences are in the attachment of the stem to the leaves on the back side of the leaf.Xanthosomas have the stem attached right at the base of the V notch.Colocasias have a small distance from the stem to the V shaped notch in the leaves.Alocasias are similar to Xanthosomas.They also grow similar appearence.Colocasias will grow in soil in ponds,Xanthosomas and alocasias tend to rot and not grow if submerged in a pond or pool. :-)
Kyle, thanks for explaining this - I knew I had read something about the stem attachment. There is another thread about this somewhere.
OK let me try to help out a little. I have fair bit of experience growing elephant ears but I have to say that RootDoctor's are bigger than mine (his elephant ears :~)). I have to say that I have found them to be very rewarding to grow in a zone 6 climate in Canada and I believe if you take care of their moisture needs that you would experience even better results than I have. I believe the term elephant ears was coined due to the general shape of the leaf. There are 3 main species - that I am aware of - that are commonly refered to as elephant ears: alocasia, colocasia, xanthosoma, and sometimes caladiums (though fairly uncommon).
The easiest way to recognise colocasia is that the leaves on the colocasia are thinner and less substancial than those of the other 2 species and that the stem on the colocasia attaches more in the central part of the leaf than on alocasia and xanthosoma. On alocasia and xanthosoma the leaves attach very close to the leaf margin. Compared to alocasia and xanthosoma I would guess that colocasia would be somewhat hardier in general, although alocasia macrorrhiza, alocasia odora, and xanthosoma sagitifolia seem like they would be almost as hardy as colocasia. Alocasia have glossy leaves and are very sensitive to cold and have a zonal rating beginning in Z9 or Z10, similar to caladiums. The glossy leaves on the alocasia help them to reduce moisture loss in dry environments. This and the fact that there are several smaller alocasia available make them good candidates for use as a house plants, although odora does look great if you can afford the space. Hot and humid weather will do an elephant ear good but I think dryness would be a big issue and is probably the main reason you are having problems with the caladiums. When the weather is very hot I think they do best in very moist soil. Perhaps you could try growing them in bog conditions to help offset the dryness.
Florida seems to be the hot bed for elephant ears, and since you live so close to Florida I definitely would not rule them out without at least giving them a try and perhaps creating conditions that may be a little more favorable for their growth. They are native to tropical and semi-tropical counties and I know many temperate gardeners who grow them sucessfully. If I can grow them here, I am sure you can do better. Just remember to give them lots of moisture.
Canna - do you over-winter your indoors?
Yes, I have a jungle in my basement.
But Root's are bigger! LOL I'm sorry but I found that funny!
Thank you for sharing your expertise.
I know what you mean about a jungle - my sunroom has become an atrium. I even got rid of the furniture. Why fight it? I "need" the plants more! But I was a good mommy...I placed cushions for the fur-babies in every bit of floor space that isn't taken up by plant life! Kitties and doggies need sunshine, too!